The Path of Angels and Men
by Noma9
Summary: When mighty Yggdrasil finally bloomed, the lives of we Celestrians were changed forever. My name is Altairis - newest to be recognized as Guardian and on an unsolicited quest to set things right. I'm afraid of failure but more than anything else, I fear the irrevocable changes within myself. Join me as I face unfamiliar lands, monsters and the dark secrets of Angels and Men.
1. Prologue: A First Time for Everything

Angel Falls was as predictably peaceful as always. As soon as the sun rose, children would spill out of their houses and begin to play their simple outdoor games, allowing the women to go about their diligent work. The young men and women would shyly speak as they saw to their chores about town and the men would tend and care for the animals-just as we Celestrians tended and cared for the mortals.

There were never any major deviations in their daily habits - amidst the bubbling chaos of life there was a simple, efficient system made of unspoken rules that held the small town tightly together like clockwork. They took good care of each other and themselves. The world outside Angel Falls, however, was less successful at self-governing and it would soon fall on me to make sure that anarchy didn't intrude the quiet order and calm of the mortals in my charge.

I take my job seriously.

"You have come far, Altairis." Master Aquila admitted as we floated high above the town, overseeing the townsfolk's daily events, each one unfolding as inevitably as the next. "I must confess to having had my doubts when you became Guardian of the village in my stead. But its inhabitants' continued peace and safety is proof of your devotion" He said, turning to face me.

He didn't need to confess anything, his doubts in me were always quite clear. "Of course, Master Aquila. I would not so easily wreck what harmony you have wrought here. I am afraid you have trained me far too well for that."

Master Aquila chuffed. "When Apus major bade me, 'Aquila, take Altairis as your apprentice', I never imagined I would see you bloom so. You are worthy of your title indeed, Altairis, Guardian of Angel Falls."

A smile parted my lips at his words. I was nothing if not a dedicated student and I knew without a doubt that I had never done anything to warrant his, or anyone else's disappointment in me but hearing my master actually compliment the progress I'd worked so hard to achieve, and hearing I'd surpassed what expectations he had, no matter how small? I felt something blossom in my spirit - I felt joy.

Before I had time to speak my thanks, master Aquila snapped his head to the right, his steely gaze falling past the town gate, "Hm!?"

Travelers, it seemed. I knew them the moment I laid eyes on them; a young girl with hair of amethyst and her doting grandfather were making their way down the simple dirt road towards Angel Falls. "Erinn..." I whispered to myself. It was the first of the few mortal names I had bothered to learn, inconvenient as they were for a being who couldn't even communicate with humans. But I had to know her name, she was the most devout of all the flock and her vivid energy brought the best out in the other mortals.

It only took a few moments for me to see what had alarmed master Aquila. A group of monsters had wandered unusually close to the town's gate and It didn't take them long to realize Erinn and her grandfather were easy prey. Concealing themselves behind a large boulder alongside the road, the monsters prepared to strike at the hapless villagers the moment they wandered by.

I felt my back tense at the thought of what would now have to be done.

"These wicked creatures must not be allowed to ambush innocent members of your flock, Altairis." There was a heat in master Aquila's voice I had come to realize was reserved only for these mortals he'd come to admire. "Come, Gaurdian of Angel Falls, it is time to fulfill our duty as Celestrians!"

I said nothing. With a single flap of our wings, we found ourselves closing in on the miscreant beasts in no time at all. Regardless, it felt like I had an eternity to dwell on my panicked thoughts.

I had only just begun my watch over Angel Falls, and all of my combat training before then - no matter how intense - had been done within the safe walls of our home, the Observatory. I knew about monsters, sure, I had even studied the ones in this very area myself, but I never had reason to engage them. All of the confidence I had earned through the collection of that knowledge fled the moment I drew my blade against living flesh and for the first time I felt uncertain of myself.

But master Aquila was beside me and I was a _good_ student, I couldn't freeze now. I refuse to disappoint.

I take my job seriously.

The monsters barely had a chance to register our arrival before attacking, but it didn't matter. One thing I knew about monsters was that they weren't like humans or Celestrians, they didn't waste time worrying about what others thought of them or living up to anyone else's expectations, certainly not when their lives were at stake - they relied far more on instinct and it served them well.

At least it did before they met us.

Master Aquila and I deftly dodged their attacks, taking to the air easily to avoid the spear head of a cruelcumber and the rush of its two slime partners. Diving with an unfair amount of grace, master Aquila cut a slime completely through, mid bound, without so much as a creased brow. Dragging my stare away from my teacher, I set my sights back on the prowling cruelcumber. Using my wings, I propelled myself away from another of its attacks and lashed out in kind, creating a deep cut down its side. My strength alone wasn't enough to finish him in one hit though and I silently cursed myself. Master Aquila dispatched the remaining slime with an effortless downward swing and all that was left was for me to finish this dance.

There was a flurry in my chest that reminded me how important this moment was. I had to prove I deserved my new title and earn a place within my society to be proud of. Would I flee backward and let my master take the killing blow? Should I show off what I've learning during our sword play, needlessly drawing the battle out? Or..?

As it raised its spear against me once more, I made up my mind, took my chances and rushed the beast. Propelling myself forward with as much force my wings would allow me, I rammed my blade through the monsters center. Blood ran down my blade for the first time.

Before its hit could land, the cruelcumber disappeared in a puff of purple smoke - blood, spear and all - Its energy being released back into the ether.

Just then I met my masters eyes, and couldn't tell what I saw there.

"See, Grandpa! There's Angel Falls up ahead." Erinn bounded past us not a second before our battle had concluded, blissfully unaware of the former danger.

"Aaah... I honestly believed I'd never set my tired old eyes on the place again. But here we are at last. Home." Erinn's grandfather hurriedly shuffled behind her, desperately trying to keep up and catch his breath at the same time.

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic, Grandpa! The village Guardian will have been watching over us all the way. nothing bad could ever happen to us." Erinn spoke with such certainty it made me wince. Bowing her head, she then offered up her thanks, "Benevolent Altairis, thank you for protecting us on our journey."

Erinn's unshakable faith in me should have made me feel good about myself, but it only served to make me sad. There was no way to convey it to mortals, but my duty was to the people _in_ Angel Falls, not of it. Once they travel far enough away, I no longer have the resources to watch over them.

It always bothered me that all manner of beast and monster, friendly or hostile, could see Celestrians just fine but the ones we have an oath to protect, the ones that put so much stock in our existence, are the ones we were forbidden to reveal ourselves to.

As Erinn gently took her grandfathers arm and led him to the town gates, a shimmering cerulean flame was left in her wake, born of her expressed gratitude. Beckoning the flame towards me as I had seen my master do countless times before, I cradled it dearly in my palms until I felt it solidify into the precious jewel we so needed.

"Behold, Altairis. Benevolessence." The wonder in master Aquila's voice mirrored the feelings I was newly experiencing perfectly.

I had seen my master harvest benevolessence time and time again and have felt the warm energies radiating from it enough to understand it had some sort of awe-inspiring property, but this... having direct contact with it, feeling the kindness, love, thankfulness and all the other affectionate feelings that made mortals the valuable resource that they are surge through the stone and spark against my skin made me feel like I was going to burst. It changed me.

Master Aquila gazed at the gem in my hands. "Ah, the crystallization of the mortals' gratitude towards we who watch over them. As Celestrians, our cardinal duty is the offering up of this sacred substance unto mighty Yggdrasil, the Great World Tree."

A weak agreement was all I could manage in reply. I didn't understand the rioting emotions trapped within the crystal, I couldn't, but there in that moment I knew that I desperately wanted to.

Laying a strong hand on my shoulder, Master Aquila spoke to me once more. "Come, Altairis. Let us return to the Observatory, that you may make your offering."

Without a word we lifted into the air and began our journey back home. I clutched the benevolessence close to my heart as we soared through the veil between the Protectorate and the Observatory, frantically trying to absorb the feelings within, knowing full well the moment I let go, I would again be empty.


	2. Chapter 1: Contrast

I could feel a calm wash over me once the Observatory was finally in sight. A towering building made of layer after layer of stone held together by columns and earth, set atop a floating island, all as ancient and sturdy as those that dwelled within - my home.

Though the entrance we needed was found near the bottom of the structure, it was not uncommon for my master and I, or any Celestrian returning home, to soar high above the Observatory to get a glimpse of Yggdrasil, our sacred tree that grew proud atop the Observatory, dazzling like some ethereal emerald. Today would be the first time I was allowed access to Yggdrasil and somehow that made giving up those fleeting human emotions I was so drawn to within the benevolessence worth it.

After taking a minute to drink in the sight of our home for the first time in what felt like far too long, master Aquila and I dipped below the floating rock base of the Observatory and flew up through a portal and into the heart of our home.

The main hall was buzzing with its usual activity. Apprentice Celestrians flew overhead, zooming back and forth from their various dormitories, carrying all sorts of tomes, ledgers and various other items no doubt needed in their studies or requested by their masters. The low roar of assorted chatter was accompanied by the gurgle of water spouting from the large Wing-Halo statues adorning every corner, reminding us of our perfect Celestrian form.

In a funny way, between the roar of voices and water, if I closed my eyes, being here didn't feel much different than being at Angel Falls, their waterfall and I watching over the mortals as they go about their day. It was a pleasant thought.

Upon arrival master Aquila turned to me. "The first task a guardian must perform upon returning from the Protectorate is to report to Apus Major. As unchanging as the North Star, you shall find him in the Great Hall."

I gave him a knowing smile. "I am not so hopeless as to forget where to always find my old master. But will you not be reporting with me as usual?"

He shook his head. "I have other matters to attend to. You must excuse me." And walked away.

It was odd for him not to see procedure all the way through, even if he wasn't necessarily obligated to. It was just his style to keep a scrutinizing eye on me as I gave my report, but perhaps he was finally accepting my independent role here? Maybe that's what I saw in his eyes earlier, acceptance. It's no wonder I didn't recognize it when I saw it.

"Welcome home, Altairis. You have just returned from the protectorate, I take it?"

I jumped in surprise at the warm voice behind me, though I knew who it was. Sure enough, as I spun around to look, the smiling face of my mother was there to greet me. "Mother! Yes, I am finally home. And look! I have brought back benevolessnce." I excitedly showed her the glowing crystal in my hands.

She gasped as she touched the smooth surface of the stone, no doubt feeling the surge of energies within."That is most wonderful, my daughter! You must go at once and report this to Apus Major. He will be as proud as I am, to be sure."

"Oh, but I have so much I wanted to talk to you about! I had my first real battle today and everything."

She laughed. "That kind of news is far more exciting for someone like your brother than it is your poor, worrying mother! Besides, you must not keep the elder waiting, he has been most anxious for your return."

"Yes, I suppose you are right." I sighed. "Though honestly I am a bit more concerned with incurring the wrath of master Aquila than I am actually keeping the elder waiting." We shared a smile. "Alright, I will speak with you later... It is good to be home, mother."

As I began my way through the familiar space I had missed so much, thoughts of my family gripped me.

Though she didn't give birth to me in the way mortal mothers do their children, the woman I called mother and the boy I claimed as brother were indeed special to me in a way greater than the other Celestrians were. Born from stars, we have no blood relations, we have only the relationships we forge ourselves. In a way, I suppose that made them even stronger.

I looked again at the benevolessence in my hands, feeling those strange human emotions tingle my fingertips. We may not feel in quite the same ways humans do, but we can still care and grow attachments to one another, rare as it may be. That fact begged the question, how fundamentally different were we really?

Just then, a voice called out to me, breaking me from my introspective thoughts. "_Altairis_!"

I looked to my right and recognized the woman sitting at the table there. Blue hair was piled atop her head and she wore the tell-tale uniform of one of the many Celestrians who never set foot outside of the Observatory, preferring to keep things running smoothly here rather than do field work.

"Altairis, is it true that mortals cannot see us Celestrians?" the woman inquired as I got close.

"Indeed, it is true. For some reason they are the only manner of creature who cannot discern our presence when we don our halos. If we removed them maybe then the mortals could see us but of course that is against law. Although I understand wandering human spirits can-"

"Truly? So they do not see us, even if we stand right before their eyes? What feeble beings!" she sneered.

I frowned. "Feeble indeed. But is that not why we were given the task to protect them?"

A blond man from across the table scoffed. "I work hard to drive off monsters and perform other service for those I am charged with protecting as a Guardian. But they offer up not the slightest thanks. Is there really any need to watch over these ungrateful mortals? I have my doubts."

"To doubt what holy task we were given is to doubt the Almighty Himself. You, as my senior, know that far better than I do."

Now it was the woman's turn to laugh. "Oh my! Do you not just adore youth? It is a small wonder how the apprentice of both our Apus Major and resident stick in the mud, Aquila, became so self-righteous."

I felt my voice harden as I spoke. "Call me what you like, but you do not guard over the mortals as I have chosen to do or as he has chosen to do, " I said, gesturing to the crestfallen blonde, "So who are you to speak of the pride I have in my work or the dedication I have in looking after my flock?"

There was silence. The blonde simply nodded his head absent-mindedly.

"Now if you will excuse me, I must report to Apus Major." I said as I spun on my heel and left.

The blue haired lady make some other derisive comment about mortals as I took my leave of them.

I was worried. It was true that many of the Guardians were finding it more and more difficult to watch over their flock, mostly due to the upsurge in monsters. The more monsters there were, the harder it was for Guardians to protect the mortals and still perform all the smaller duties to keep them happy, and without those smaller gestures being done, mortals become less and less thankful and begin to try the patience of Celestrians.

That fact coupled with the arrogance that comes with being the superior being made the attitude around here seem a bit darker than it was when I left. Still, in all of our libraries and studies there are books written by the most senior of Celestrians, passing down the sacred edict given to them by the Almighty when He still dwelled among us. _'We Celestrians are a gift to mankind'_, they say. Who are we to argue?

When I emerged from the stairs and into the Great Hall, a sense of excitement consumed my musings as I remembered just what it was I was doing there.

The Great Hall wasn't any less busy than the floor below, but there was a different breed of activity here-scholars and students looking for books or a chance to get away from their masters often wound up here, quietly frequenting the massive library to the west and tired Celestrians fresh from combat training went to check their weapons in at the armory to the east. All in all, it was a far more hushed sort of bustling, which was probably why Apus Major spent so much of his time here; it was central but not overwhelming.

As I approached the seat the elder normally took, I realized he was instead on the large balcony behind it, wistfully staring out into the sky around us. It wasn't too surprising to see the ancient Celestrian spending his time outside, just staring.

When I was his personal apprentice, before he asked Aquila to train me instead, he often made me complete my studies outdoors just so he had an excuse for some fresh air. He admitted to me that he dearly missed his days soaring down into the Protectorate himself and that his duties as our leader in the Almighty's absence left him with so little time to take flight when he felt like it.

I debated whether or not I should bother him. On one hand, I knew he was expecting me and it was my job to report back right away. On the other hand, I was already late and he looked so peaceful.

I gave into my debatably better nature and decided to leave him to it as I took a peek into the library. I knew Columba was often there and where I would find Columba, I was almost certain to find her apprentice, my brother. I figured I might as well stop by and let him know I was back safely and perhaps show him my benevolessence before I had to offer it to Yggdrasil.

As I wandered the aisles of the massive library, I heard a cooing female voice from the back of the room and recognized it as Columba's. I hurried towards the sound assuming she spoke with my brother, it was not until I came to the opening where she stood that I realized she spoke instead to my master.

I began to turn back and let them get back to whatever pointless discussion they were having this time until I heard just who it was they were disusing.

"I was surprised to hear of Altairis' promotion. I did not expect you to permit it so soon." Columba said tentatively, probing for a reaction.

"You assume too much, Columba. I also believe it is too soon for her to take on a Guardianship. It was Apus Major's decision."

What?

Columba giggled. "Indeed? How amusing! I might have known."

"It is no laughing matter. Altairis is but a fledgling. What if something were to happen in the Protectorate?"

_What_? But he just said earlier that I... that I was worthy! ...He _lied_?

"Do you forget the tragedy of Corvus so soon?" He continued.

Columba's playful smile faded. "Hmph. No, of course not, but... we have been forbidden to talk of that matter here in the Observatory, have we not?"

Aquila made no reply. It was then that Columba took notice of me standing off to the side of them, agape. "Ah, more esteemed company it seems."

Aquila turned to look, an expression of shock on his face that made his usually calm features look foreign. "Altairis! H-How long have you been standing there?"

"Far longer than I was meant to... _master_." I meant for my words to come out as a snarl but instead they sounded simply like an angry whisper.

There was a heavy silence between us as I stared him down, begging the tears welling within my eyes to stay out of it.

"Congratulations on being appointed Guardian, Altairis." Columba chimed, trying to break the tension. "Of course, I never doubted you. You are Aquila's hand-picked apprentice, after all. To be chosen by one who refused for so long to take on a pupil speaks volumes of your ability."

Who did she think she was kidding? Of all the four people who knew Aquila didn't actually pick me for an apprentice, three of them were standing right here.

"Why do you stand idle, Altairis? I see you have yet to make your report to Apus Major. Do you really wish to keep him waiting? Make haste." Master Aquila demanded, looking at the benevolessene I clutched angrily in my fists. His voice cold, final and unrepentant.

That broke me.

"As you wish, master! Let us hope the path leading outside this room is not too dangerous for a simple fledgling like me to navigate! Ha!" My voice was uncomfortably shrill and hysterical as I spoke. Some still sane part of me begged myself not to speak to my master this way but the anger exploding inside of me wouldn't let me stop. "Almighty knows that someone so unfit as I could be felled by a single paper cut! Surely my hard work and your counsel mean nothing in the face of my intense mediocrity and unworthiness!"

"Altairis-!" Aquila's face twisted in fury but I would not be silenced.

"You lied!" I screamed. "I never expected you to be forthcoming with praise and I had a feeling that my promotion was at the behest of Apus Major but you did not have to feed me false compliments! I could stand your lack of confidence in my progress so long as I was not completely ignored but to pretend you were impressed? To hand me the small amount of commendation I desired, no, that I deserved! And not mean it..! I... I just!" The tears came and I darted away, refusing to bear my weaknesses further.

I shuddered as I slammed the door to the library behind me, choking back a few embarrassed sobs. Aquila was sure to be furious with me but I knew Columba would pacify him easily enough, she did have a way with him that few could understand, myself included.

Where had all of that come from? I never dreamed to speak to any superior like that, even if I was unhappy with them. It was shameful of me, of any Celestrian, to act that way and I felt that shame to my core. More than anything though, I was surprised just how deeply I was hurt by Aquila's lies. I knew I wanted his approval and I worked hard to that end, but it wasn't the all encompassing reason for my dedication, or, at least I didn't think it had become so until I realized he never believed in me at all, not once.

What was it that I saw in his eyes earlier? Acceptance? Apparently not!

Taking a few deep breaths and wiping at my eyes, I drifted over to one of the large mirrors decorating the upper walls of the Great Hall. I was afraid to look, scared my blue eyes would have the betraying signs of tears but when I glanced at myself, I relaxed. Though my eyes were a little tear blemished and my face a bit pink, I looked more or less my usual unkempt self. Tightening my high ponytail of unruly pink curls, I dove down towards the balcony Apus Major stood upon.

"Greetings Apus Major. Celestrian Altairis, apprentice of Aquila reporting back. I humbly apologize for my tardiness!" I said as I knelt in reverence before him.

Apus Major turned towards me and smiled. "Well met, Altairis, apprentice of Aquila." He bade me to stand and I complied. "Welcome back. I trust your absence has not been so lengthy that you forget your old master?"

I returned his smile, though I didn't really feel it. "It has been a long time to be sure, but it would take eternities to make me forget you."

Apus Major had an incredibly easy way about him. His warmth and openly kind personality put him in great contrast with many of the other Celestrians and was almost shocking to accept when you spent your days by someone like Aquila.

"Apart from being happy to be home, I would like to report that all is well at Angel Falls. There was a slight disturbance outside of the town gates but it was nothing too difficult for me to handle and no mortals were harmed or even aware of the danger, sir."

"My congratulations on successfully completing your first task as a Guardian, Altairis. You have preformed your duties well thus far, albeit under Aquila's watchful gaze."

I knew he meant no harm to my feelings, but the reminder of Aquila watching my every move and apparently finding me unready, stung.

"But the time has come for you to spread your own wings. What say you? Are you ready to undertake your duties alone and accept the position as Guardian?" Apus Major asked suddenly.

Be rid of Aquila? I'd like that very much at the moment. But I knew this was not a decision to be made on a rush of undesired emotions. After taking some time to mull over my thoughts and take stock of all that has happened to bring me here, I formed my answer carefully.

"As you know, Apus major, I have trained tirelessly under both you and master Aquila. I have all the technical knowledge I could ever need in order to properly tend to my flock. But I have come to realize that knowledge alone, no matter how vast, is simply not enough. It takes a level of natural ability to be able to carry out the duties that a Guardian must and today I discovered I do indeed meet the qualifications. ...I also know that despite my knowledge and skill and desire for this position that I am in no way better equipped for the job than master Aquila is. I am both terribly inexperienced and terribly afraid of that fact. Sometimes I believe I am ready for this duty and other times I find myself wallowing in self pity due to my own lack of confidence. And when it comes down to it, I honestly do not know if I am ready yet."

I paused and readied myself for my next couple of statements. Apus Major's face gave away nothing, so I continued to push forward.

"I do know, however, that more than anything I have mentioned thus far, that the most important thing for a Guardian to be capable of is dedication to their responsibility, care for their flock and a desire to hold the sacred decree given by the Almighty in the highest place in their heart. Today I realized that there is nothing I would be more proud of than being a true Guardian. Not because of the respect I could then garner from my fellow Celestrians or even for some sense of self-importance but because I know that I truly... feel strongly for the mortals in the Protectorate and that my desire is to not just protect them and make them happy, but to actually understand them and I believe that makes me far more suited for Guardianship that any single Celestrian here! So yes, Apus major! I would like nothing more than to spread my wings and follow our sacred duty to the best of my ability."

Apus Major said nothing for what seemed like an eternity and I quickly began to feel like an idiot for not just simply saying _"Yes!"_

And then he started laughing.

"Ho ho ho! Despite what you say, you seem quite confident from where I stand, Guardian Altairis. Very good. Build your confidence while you are young, experience will come as you age." He smiled gently at me and I felt tears begin to form in my eyes once more, this time, they were born of relief and joy rather than anger.

"Thank you very much, sir! You will never be able to regret putting your faith in me."

"I do not doubt that! And so we come to the next of your duties. I believe you have acquired a crystal of benevolessence, have you not? The essence of mortal gratitude."

"Yes sir, I have kept it close to my heart at all times."

"As well you should, it will sustain you as a Guardian when your duties feel more like trials. Now, you must offer it unto the Great World Tree, Yggdrasil, who shelters us with Her nurturing boughs from atop the Observatory. She will soon bear fruit at last. Go now, and do as I have instructed."

I nodded and took flight from the balcony, landing on the outside of the upper structure of the Observatory. The path to Yggdrasil was mostly just stairs, though there was a small inner chamber near the base of Her roots where many an apprentice would spend their time communing with Her the only way they could. I was very familiar with the place.

I walked towards the guard at the topmost set of stairs. "Hello there. Apus major has sent me to offer this benevolessence unto mighty Yggdrasil." I said, holding up the crystal as proof.

The guard nodded. "Then you may pass. I must say, I feel the day when the holy fyggs will bloom and set us on our course back to the Realm of the Almighty dawning closer with each offering."

"Apus Major himself said the time is soon to be upon us... hard to imagine a life where we would not be bound to watch over the mortals. I wonder what would become of the when we leave?" I pondered. I had never really thought about what it would mean for those in the Protectorate for us to join the Almighty.

"Who knows? The great thing would be that it would no longer be of our concern!"

I politely smiled and continued up the stairs. An odd feeling nagged at me as I thought about the prophecy coming to fruition. Sadness? Disappointment at the very least. Despite what it would mean for Yggdrasil to bear fruit, I was quite disheartened to think that my job as Guardian would be over so soon. How silly.

I carefully climbed each step as I continued my trek upwards. The stairs themselves were technically unnecessary for us to use but it was tradition to take them anyway. Traveling by foot was to remind us that approaching Yggdrasil carelessly or arrogantly was criminal and instead, we should all think of it as a journey. We had to work for our right to see Her and I savored every step.

Once I made it to the very top of the Observatory, I gasped.

At the top of the stairs was a small meadow dotted with white flowers, ringed by impressive monuments-the perfect form of Celestrians carved within each one. In the very middle stood Yggdrasil.

She was strong and beautiful, her massive leafy boughs danced with the wind and stirred with a faint power. Moss grew greedily up her trunk and every blade of grass before Her bent toward Her in worship. She was everything.

I took a few hesitant steps towards Her until I suddenly found myself running into Her loving shade. It was there that I offered up to Her the benevolessence I had been holding so dear.

As soon as I raised the crystal towards Her, it floated gently from my hands and up towards Yggdrasil's canopy where She absorbed it into her being. Not a moment later, the gentle shimmering of Her leaves exploded into a show of light. Sparkles fell from Her boughs and her entire body glowed brighter and brighter, forcing me to back away. Then as quickly as it had happened, it stopped.

"Behold, Altairis..." A familiar voice said. "Is Yggdrasil, unto who we offer the benevolessence we gather, not truly beautiful?"

I turned towards Aquila, who in this moment of perfection I could not bring myself to despise, and nodded. "More so than my imagination ever permitted me to believe. Especially as she took in the benevolessence."

Aquila looked no more pleased or unhappy as usual and I knew his being here was proof he had got his feelings about what I said earlier under control. I just hoped I could say the same for myself.

Aquila came closer and we both gazed up at the World Tree. "Gathering and offering up benevolessencce is the most sacred duty with which we Guardians are charged. I trust you will perform your duties well, Altairis, Guardian of Angel Falls."

I turned towards him, this time I saw something on his face I recognized, approval.

It wasn't enough to erase the hurt I had felt before, but it was more than I thought I'd ever receive after the way I acted so I smiled in return. "Your trust in me will not be misplaced, master Aquila."

"I have been thinking, Altairis, Guardian of Angel Falls... To address you as 'Guardian of Angel Falls' is both convoluted and inconvenient. You will henceforth allow me to use this form of address only when formality dictates, I take it?"

I pretended to think about it. "Hm, it is very convoluted, truly. I also think I would feel quite silly being addressed with such a lengthy title all of the time. You may address me as you always have."

"Good. It is well that you succumb to my recommendation so readily, my pupil. As you are aware, the law forbids a Celestrian to oppose a superior."

I frowned. "Knowing that, I wonder how much of a recommendation you really make. It all comes across far more like a command from where I sit."

I didn't appreciate the reiteration of our relationship he was making just to punish me for my behavior before. At the very least he could acknowledge that I do in fact have reasons for agreeing with him.

Aquila ignored me. "Go to Apus Major and tell him of the successful completion of your task."

I stalked away without a word as he stayed behind with Yggdrasil.

I expected to feel hollow after giving up the benevolessence and I wasn't completely wrong. I did indeed feel drained without it, but in its place I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment within me that I suspected would not leave me so soon. Dwelling on this, I smiled and made my way back to Apus Major.

**-Author Note-**

**Heya, guys and gals. So this is a little longer than I intended, really. I actually wrote out the first couple chapters together then decided to split them up in the way that I have in order to make them a bit more digestible for readers. That said, I hope you've enjoyed everything so far! If you have (Or if you haven't) feel free to let me know in the reviews, I'd love to hear what everyone thinks! If you do review, it would be very helpful to tell me _why _you feel the way you do. If there's a specific thing you really liked about a chapter or really hated then please let me know - your opinions are important to me.**

**A few other things: Obviously this is a novelization of DQ IX, so you can expect things to more or less follow the story line as we progress but it will have a focus on the main hero's thoughts and relationships with the other characters. I intend to add in my own slight twists and such as well. Also, you'll probably find one of these notes at the bottom of every chapter just giving some insights into the story, fun facts and even snippets of what I'm actually doing in-game. For instance, I named our heroine the slightly feminized version of 'Altair' because Altair is the brightest star in the Aquila constellation. Get it? 'Cause, yeah, Aquila. I thought I was clever.**


	3. Chapter 2: Mutual Understanding

After Apus Major and I spoke in detail about the fierce glow of Yggdrasil, he commanded that I go back down into the Protectorate as a full-fledged Guardian and continue to harvest benvolessence on my own.

I was a bit disappointed that I had to leave so soon without getting to spend time with my brother but it seemed that the time of Prophecy was truly upon us and the Observatory practically hummed with excitement.

With the dreams of my people in mind, I dove into the portal in the main hall and found myself soaring rapidly towards my new second home of Angel Falls.

The view from above the falls was enchanting in its simplicity. All the town really consisted of was two halves split by the river from the waterfall, connected by a series of little bridges anchored to a spit of land between them. None the less, it held its own special charm.

Landing on the small island in the middle of town, I overheard two of the young village boys speaking to each other. Excited to learn more about my flock, I listened in.

"It really is weird..." The blond boy said, almost as if to himself.

"What's weird? You mean that name thingy on the Guardian statue, Ivor?"

"Of course I mean that name thingy, Hugo, you dolt! I'm sure it said 'Aqui-' something before. But now it's 'Altairis'..."

"Really? Well it's said 'Altairis' for as long as I can remember."

"And how long is that, exactly? Do you remember reading it before?"

Hugo stopped, scratching nervously at his mess of brown hair. "Er...I... That's funny... I, I can't say that I do."

"You see! Everyone around here's weird. It's only just changed, and everyone thinks it's been like that forever."

Interesting. Just as humans couldn't see us, they generally couldn't sense the changes we made either. Something as subtle as changing the name on a Guardian statue should easily go unnoticed by all but the most clever of humans. Perhaps I could find a way to communicate with the mortals without breaking my oath through_ him_...

"Ah-ha! It must be the work of the village Guardian, then!" Hugo exclaimed.

Ivor scoffed, his face a smug portrait. "Don't be such a wally! There's no such thing as Guardians. They're just made-up rubbish."

Or maybe I couldn't.

"It's only Erinn who believes in all that nonsense. She's such a dumb, er...brunette? I mean, her hair is kind of really purple though, right? What is up with that anyway?"

I got lost in my own thoughts as the two began a deep discussion on Erinn's unfortunate hair color. What Ivor said made me wonder, would I face the same issues that blond Celestrian complained about earlier? Would I grow bitter at my flock if they stopped thanking me for every little thing?

Just then, Hugo said something that caught my attention. "So what do you think of those ghost rumors?"

Ivor rolled his eyes. "If I'm not fool enough to believe in a stinkin' Guardian what makes you think I'd buy into a bunch of hooey about ghost hauntings?"

The two of them turned their conversation to fishing as they walked off towards the other side of the river, leaving me concerned.

If there really was a lost human spirit roaming the town at night troubling my flock, then I'd have to do something about it. The problem was, I had never got to practice putting souls to rest before, so what was I to do?

I silently cursed Aquila's insufficient teachings and then scolded myself for being so unfair. He hadn't felt it right to let me go on my own so soon and perhaps this was part of the reason why. I felt ashamed realizing that I'd never considered that maybe Aquila was right in his opinions about me. With a sigh, I pushed it from my mind and set about my duties.

As I explored the town I found myself increasingly unable to be anxious over anything. Each mortal I ran across was in need of something, from finding lost jewelry to unfortunately disgusting manual labor, I just didn't have time to worry. And with each crystal of benevolessence I harvested, I felt I had less and less to be concerned with anyway. It seemed that Erinn was not the only grateful person in the village and with each new gem, I felt I understood my flock better and better as every persons benevolessence felt different from the last.

Setting the newest piece of glowing crystal gently in a pouch tied round my waist, I noticed a familiar figure floating over the town. Silently seething, I flew upwards to meet him. "Aquila!?"

He turned and considered me for a moment before speaking. "You are taking your new role very seriously, I am glad to see, Altairis."

"Hmph, of course I am, they are my flock after all. Which begs the question of what it is you are doing here exactly."

"What is it? You feel that your old master does not trust you to work alone?"

I raised my eyebrow. Did he really need to ask that question in light of everything else that's happened?

Aquila turned away from me and looked outward over the plains and mountains, towards the rest of the world far beyond Angel Falls. "It is my duty now to patrol the entire Protectorate. Though you guard it well, I must sometimes revisit my old territory." He turned back towards me, "And as I am here, Altairis... There is one last lesson I must teach you. As Guardians, it is our duty to tend to our mortal flock. But this means more than merely watching over the living. Sometimes we must help those who have passed away, but whose souls continue to roam the land."

I felt my face go slightly red as I realized what he was really doing here. What an idiot I was. Despite his undesired task of teaching me, he still did it to the best of his ability and even now, after I had treated him so unappreciatively, he was still here, determined to make me prepared. He didn't want to put the flock he cared for in ill-equipped hands and he didn't want me to feel foolish either.

"You hear it, too, do you not? The voice of a wandering soul here in the village in need of your assistance..."

"Er... yes, master Aquila. I think I... oh! Is that him over there?" I said, spotting a burly looking man of what looked to be made of smoke.

Still unsure of exactly what my task consisted of, but unwilling to face my master in my embarrassment, I dove down to engage the man. He was as vividly detailed as any living thing was, but it looked as though I could put my hand right through him. I fought back the urge to do just that, not wanting to be rude the very first time I was able to speak with a human, even if he was dead.

"Hmph! wot's wrong wiv people 'round 'ere nowadays? Whys everyone givin' me the cold shoulder?" The ghost man asked himself.

"Uh, hi." I said dimly.

Guardian of Angel Falls, right here, ladies and gentlemen.

The man turned and regarded me with relief. "Eh? Oh, someone who's prepared to gimme the time o' day at last! Listen 'ere. Can you tell me 'ow come everyone's ignorin' me?"

How do you tell someone they're dead?

"Ah, well... Er, you see... Well what I am pretty sure is happening-"

The man's eyes grew wide. "...'Ang on a minute... W-Wot's wiv that get-up, eh? Y-You ain't a... Oh, my days, you are! Yer a Celestrian, ain'tcha?"

"Well, yes. Yes I am."

"So I've... I'm already... I've breaved me last, is it? Go on, you can tell me. I can take it! That's wot's 'appened, innit?"

"It appears that is exactly what has, uh, 'appened. I do not know precisely how it occurred but, I am sorry sir, you are dead."

The ghost man took a short moment to gather himself before sighing and speaking again. "Well, cheers for bein' straight wiv me, Miss, er...Celestrian. It's a good fing you told me. When I thought everyone was just ignorin' me, I was about ready to do meself in anyway!" The man laughed a surprisingly hardy laugh for a wandering spirit.

"Oh. Ahaha... ha?"

"But now I know wot's wot, I can just get on wiv it and... Well you know. Rest in peace an' all that."

I cleared my throat nervously. "Ah, yes. I suppose you can... Correct?"

I had no idea what to do next but I knew Aquila wouldn't have let me do it alone if I couldn't figure it out myself. My fears receded however, as the man simply closed his eyes and gently flowed out into the ether, leaving behind a roaring flame of benevolessence.

"You have done well, Altairis. Thanks to your intervention, a mortal soul has made its peace, and is now at rest." Aquila said as he landed next to me.

"Thank you, master Aquila. I did not realize it would be as easy as it was. But look at this!" I showed him the heavy crystal that now lay in my hands, shining brightly in the night.

"The benevolessence of a departed soul shines more brilliantly than any and brings with it a great sense of accomplishment."

"Indeed! ...Um... master Aquila? Thank you."

He looked confused. "What for?"

I sighed. "I have been acting very foolish lately and yet you still showed up tonight knowing that I would need support. You came here even though you knew I would be angry at you for it, all because you knew it would be better for me and for the mortals I care for. You are a truly great teacher and I apologize for acting so ungrateful earlier today. I am... sorry."

The confusion drained from Aquila's face and he closed his eyes.

I waited a moment in uncertainty, praying he would say something and finally, just as I felt a renewed sense of embarrassment growing inside me, he began forming his words carefully.

"I am not very adept at speaking with those so much younger and more... expressive than I. I am even less able to convey the emotions I feel within myself outwardly in a proper manner." Opening his eyes, Aquila continued with more ease. "Because I have failed to express myself properly, I feel I have done you a disservice as my apprentice. Though it is true that I took you on at the behest of Apus Major, I have greatly enjoyed the challenges that came with teaching you and reveled in the mutual triumphs of your learning. I did not mean to offend you with my doubts for they were not directed at you. I believed you unready because I doubted myself." Aquila's face took on a pained expression that tugged at my heart.

"But... why, master?"

"I had never taken an apprentice before and was unsure of my ability to properly teach you. I would never have been able to forgive myself if you had gotten hurt because I failed to properly train you. And I have failed you in that I withheld my feelings and let you believe yourself inadequate when that was not the truth. In spite of all this you still have triumphed-I did not lie when I said I was surprised to see you bloom so, Altairis. So you need not seek forgiveness for your outburst, instead, it is I that must say I am sorry."

The uncertainty inside me evaporated as a bevy of new emotions plagued me. I felt so much at once that I did not know what to say, so instead, I said nothing and just hugged him. All I could do was hope my feelings could seep from my skin and soak into his, for he was not the only one who had trouble expressing himself.

After everything between us was well again, we spent a few minutes talking about more lighthearted things and agreed that I should hurry back to the Observatory with the benevolessence I had acquired.

"Then I shall bid you farewell for now. I have much to do here in the Protector- Hm?"

Following Aquila's gaze upward, we spotted an intensely bright golden light streaking through the sky in the shape of a train, the celestial carriage said to bring us to the Realm of the Almighty. "Isn't that..?" I said.

"The Starflight Express... Indeed, it has been unusually active of late..." A look of concern suddenly came over master Aquila. "I have changed my mind. I shall accompany you to the Observatory after all, Altairis."

And with a mutual understanding between us, we made the journey home together once more.

**-Author Note-**

**So I've decided to break my chapters up in a similar way that the official player's guide does. This will help me keep more organized but will pretty effectively keep the chapters from being a consistent length. I'll try my best not to let anything get too long or too short though, so no worries. **

**I really can't wait till we get some more mortal characters for Altairis to interact with because then we'll finally be able to indulge in some classic Dragon Quest humor. Oh, and fun fact? The ghosts dialogue drove my spelling check freakin' _insane._ **


	4. Chapter 3: Family, Fruition and Flight

The stars shone brilliantly around master Aquila and I as we zoomed toward the Observatory, both of us cloaked in a feeling of unexplained anxiety that only grew as we neared the portal to our home. A sense of urgency plaguing us, we skipped the journey upwards to spy on Yggdrasil and instead went straight into the heart of the main hall.

Once inside, master Aquila wasted no time. "I have important matters to discuss with Apus Major. Please, excuse me." He said before rushing off towards the Great Hall.

Well, at least he said please this time.

Unable to shake my apprehension, I decided that before I took the rest of the benevolessence up to Yggdrasil, I would look for my brother once more in hopes of showing him the crystal I had received from the ghost man. And perhaps his infectiously vivid energy would put me at ease.

As I made my way up the stairs and off towards the library, I realized that the Observatory was unusually bare. That vibrating hum of excitement from before hadn't dissipated, but there were noticeably less Celestrians about. Without the need for deep sleep or food, it was rare to find the halls of the Observatory so empty. It added to unnerving me.

I found Columba near the back of the library by her desk, her thick mauve hair pulled back revealing the sad expression on her face. She was looking out the window, her gaze fixed on the stars burning brightly around us.

Seeing her this way took me a bit off guard, she was always so annoyingly playful and chirpy but now she had a distinct heaviness about her. I wanted to leave and let her be but between the mounting desire to find my brother and the odd decrease in activity, I had little choice but to ask what was going on.

"Oh, hello there Altairis." Columba said with dull surprise. "I forgot you were still down in the Protectorate... Soon an envoy will arrive to return us all to the Realm of the Almighty. Yggdrasil is aquiver with power and everyone has made their way up to gaze upon Her at the moment of deliverance."

I frowned. "So soon, hm? ...You do not look particularly pleased about it yourself."

Columba sighed and waited a moment before replying, her voice etched with either regret or longing, I could not tell. "I cannot help but think what of Corvus? He is still not returned to us... Is he doomed never to return..?" Her voice broke and she cleared her throat, no doubt holding back tears. "But I speak of forbidden things. Please, pretend you heard nothing. It is merely talk of matter centuries since put to rest."

I went to the window and stood beside her, feigning interest in the stars as to give respect for her need to compose herself. "It does not seem very put to rest to me." I said as gently as I knew how.

She laughed bitterly. "Do not worry for me, young Guardian. I am not one of your precious flock." Her voice was coarse.

Ouch. "I am sorry, Columba. I will let you be. But first, have you seen my brother?"

"I sent him up to Yggdrasil. I told him of your Guardianship, he was very excited."

Turning towards her, I gave Columba my best smile. "Thank you for taking such good care of him, Columba. And thank you taking care of master Aquila too. They have both grown well with your guidance as a friend."

That seemed to brighten her some as she stifled a small giggle. "Oh my. Indeed, they do need someone to keep them from running rampant, do they not? Thank you for your concern for my feelings, but it is really nothing anyone could do anything about. You should go join the others."

I nodded politely as I left her. I remembered master Aquila mentioning the name 'Corvus' when he and Columba were talking earlier but I had no idea who he was or why it was taboo to speak about him. It sounded as if he had gone missing in the Protectorate and was therefore causing Columba a great deal of personal pain... was that why master Aquila brought him up when he spoke of me? Was he afraid I would be lost to him just as this Corvus was lost to Columba? Who was this Celestrian even?

My thoughts were quickly silenced as I made my way through the Great Hall and up toward Yggdrasil. The entire stairway and every surrounding platform were packed with Celestrians and even more alighted in the sky, looking on towards an intensely glowing Yggdrasil.

I saw both expressions of awe and faces blanketed with trepidation as I searched the crowd for my brother, it seemed no one could make up their mind on what was about to happen. But I couldn't offer up the benevolessence without finding Cygnus first, not until I-

"_Siiiiiiiiis_!" Screamed a shrill male voice.

As soon as I turned towards the familiar sound, a young boy with a mane of cobalt hair tackled me into a hug, nearly sending me over the side of the Observatory.

"Cygnus!" I gasped, willing the air back into my lungs. "You are getting far too strong for my liking. You almost sent me plummeting into the Protectorate!" I teased before planted a kiss on the top of his head, a gesture I'd seen human mothers do to their young children many times. It felt oddly natural.

Cygnus looked up at me with golden eyes shining. "Ha! I'm getting bigger, better and badder everyday! No seriously, check me out, I've grown a quarter of an inch!" He exclaimed, still holding tight to my waist.

"I see! You have definitely grown in my absence. I hardly even recognize you. In fact, I am not convinced you even _are_ my brother at all! If you are the real Cygnus you will tell me why I am here." I said, putting my hands on my hips in mock skepticism.

Cygnus let go and mimicked my pose, rolling his eyes at me. "Too easy! You're back from slaying thousands of monsters in the name of the Almighty. Shaa! Shing! Augh!" He said as he pretended to butcher hordes of imaginary monsters with his sword. "I mean, that is what Guardians do, right?"

I couldn't contain my laughter. "Oh Cygnus, you are far too hot-blooded for your own good, you know that? It is very un-Celestrian of you." I wasn't about to admit I spent the greater portion of my day in Angel Falls cleaning up horse muck rather than fending off a mass of enemies. Saying that out loud would break both of our hearts.

"Psshaw! Being all calm and reserved is for lame old geezers like Aquila, not a rad guy like myself!" He proudly proclaimed.

"Heh! Alright Mr. Rad-Guy, how would you like to come offer some benevolessence to Yggdrasil with me?" I said, holding out the largest of the glowing crystals.

His eyes grew wide like saucers. "_Ooooooh_! Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!"

I grinned. "Alright. Hold my hand, okay?"

Cygnus complied and the two of us made our way up the final set of stairs to Yggdrasil together, hand in hand, that feeling of anxiety diffusing at his touch.

Once we got to the meadow, I noticed both of my old masters standing before us, each with a look of barely contained joy.

"Well met, Altairis!" Aquila practically sung. "Truly, you have chosen a fortuitous moment to join us. Ah? And young Cygnus too."

It was almost frightening to hear master Aquila sound so vigorous.

I squeezed my brothers hand reassuringly. "I hope it was okay I brought him here. I did not want us to journey to the Realm of the Almighty without him experiencing the offering of benevolessence at least once."

Aquila looked to Apus Major who admitted to having no qualms about the idea and the two of them invited Cygnus to join me in the offering.

Slowly, I lead my brother through the small meadow and up to Yggdrasil's base, letting his big eyes wander over all the scenery. Once we were beneath Her boughs, I knelt next to him to make our heights more even. Gathering the crystals in both of our hands, feeling the intense mix of all the thankful emotions of my flock, I asked if he was ready.

"Are you kidding? This is about to be the greatest moment of my life! ...Thanks sis."

Simply smiling in return, I guided our hands aloft and, as before, the benevolessence glided safely from our hands and was absorbed in a great show of light. Only this time I watched my little brother rather than Yggdrasil.

Seeing his face light up was the greater of the two sights.

After Yggdrasil's luminosity died down, She suddenly bore fruit-massive and golden. I could hear cries of rejoicing from all around me as well as Cygnus' own enamored gasp. They were truly striking.

"Behold! The sacred fyggs bloom!" Apus Major shouted, his voice brimming with such delight it made him sound like a youth.

Overhead a great horn sounded and the Starflight express came gliding towards us in all of its radiant glory. When it lit up the sky above us before, it looked mostly like an exquisite shooting star but seeing it so closely, it was a truly intricate work of art.

"_And the celestial chariot appears... Praise be! All is as it was foretold_." I heard the voices cry out.

It was a moment of complete triumph, at long last all that we Celestrians had worked towards had come to fruition. I gazed thoughtfully at the Starflight Express and wondered how I could ever have been sad to see this day come.

I felt Cygnus tug on my sleeve. "Hey sis, we'll still be together when we enter the Realm of the Almighty, right? ...I don't want to go somewhere else if we don't still get to live with each other."

I smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately. "I am sure of it, Cygnus. It would take a greater power than the Almighty to separate me from you. I promise."

As soon as I had finished my sentence, a giant bolt of violet light burst forth from the ground and thundered into the Starflight Express. The impact blew it apart and sent its still-glowing carriages flying out in all directions. I heard the screams of Celestrians abruptly cut off by the force of the celestial chariot crushing them as they plummeted towards the ground.

Then there was complete and utter silence. _What had just happened_?

Cygnus clung to me and I returned his hold. Then it begun. Bolt after bolt of searing violet light crashed through the Observatory. I felt the earth shift beneath us as parts of the island fell. Rock splintered and cracked. Celestrians fled in every direction, some getting caught in the explosions of debris and other caught in the beams of light, leaving no trace of themselves when the light receded. There was nowhere to run.

Cygnus shook in my arms as the assault continued and all I could do is tighten my grip on him. I tried to cover his ears so he couldn't hear all the screams but they were a symphony around us. Another wave of attacks, this time ripping through the meadow itself and tearing my little brother from my arms.

"_Sis_!" He screamed as the energy from the closest bolt flung him away from me.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" I screamed over the sound of all the other panicked cries. Then another light came, as thick as Yggdrasil herself and held its place, blowing apart the monuments surrounding Her and knocking master Aquila, Apus Major and myself back.

I clung to a piece of the newly made rubble as the pulsating lightning threatening to blow us away for good. I looked around wildly for Cygnus but I couldn't see him anymore. "_Cygnus_!" I screamed, but I could barely hear myself over the death cries and chaos around me.

Aquila and the elder were both holding their ground and I could see Apus Major saying something but I couldn't hear what. I had a feeling his words mirrored my own terrified thoughts though. Like why was this happening? Were we... deceived?

I felt my grip on the ruins weaken as the bolts energy intensified. Then suddenly I felt a sharp, searing feeling stab through me, dimming everything else and ushering an unbidden scream from my lips as the wings on my back begun to tear away from my skin.

Was this... pain?

As the light convulsed with another wave of energy, I lost my hold to the ground and felt myself begin to fly upwards. I saw master Aquila's despaired face through the quickening dark and reached out towards him. I could vaguely hear him scream my name and see his strong arm reach out toward me but before I knew it, I was hurtling through the air and everything seemed so very far away.

I tried to move my wings but they would not listen and soon the pain became too much. The last thing I remembered before meeting the darkness was my own bloodied feathers flying out in front of me and the promise I made to my younger brother that I knew now I could not keep.

**-Author Note-**

**Yes. Finally everything got real. Now that we've got through the technical prologue of the game, we can start the real journey! I actually really enjoyed writing this part out, I only hope I did the badass cutscene justice. Also, I know that people like to integrate other authors OC's in their story as the human companions, which is pretty cool, but since I already have the other characters and their subsequent backgrounds and plots planned out, I won't be doing that. **

**Fun Facts! I wanted to name the little brother the same way all the other Celestrians are named in-game, that is, after bird constellations. I settled on 'Cygnus' for a couple reasons. One, it was pretty much the only name left that didn't sound awful or super feminine and two, I like that Cygnus is the Swan and there absolutely nothing beautiful, graceful or demure about our Cygnus here. **


	5. Chapter 4: Second Impressions

Angel Falls was as predictably peaceful as always. As soon as the sun rose, children would spill out of their houses and begin to play their simple outdoor games, allowing the women to go about their diligent work. The young men and women would shyly speak as they saw to their chores about town and the men would tend and care for the animals-just as Erinn had been caring for me.

I stood in front of the Guardian Statue near the foot of the falls I had been fished out of just a week before and stared blankly at was inscribed there.

_'Altairis- Guardian of Angel Falls'_

It gave me a dangerous sense of hope.

After being thrown from the Observatory and into the Protectorate, I had apparently fell into water of Angel Falls. I was rescued and cared for by Erinn, whom I was surprised to find I was completely visible to. It wasn't just her though, her grandfather and the many other villagers that had stopped by her home had been able to see me as well. More than that, I hurt. A lot. And I slept even more than I hurt. In the rare times I wasn't asleep or too busy being in pain, I ate.

None of this was meant to be possible.

It was easy enough to explain the humans being able to see me - without my halo to cloak me from their senses it was inevitable that they'd notice me. The intense pain all over my body was harder to accept. I knew the ache of tired muscles from overuse and training, but until that horrifying moment I felt my wings rent from my back, I had not known pain. Now it seemed to never cease. What scared me the most though was this sudden and seemingly constant need for sleep and food.

As a Celestrian, I might have rested my eyes after a long day of reading, or lazed about in my hammock to relax my limbs, but my mind had never needed to shut down so fully as it did now. And that terrible period of unconsciousness was plagued by images of blood, feathers and water, making it all the more unbearable. Then there was the food... _food_! The act of eating was disgustingly foreign. The urge though, the need for sustenance, was greater than anything I'd ever felt before. It overwhelmed even my fear and sorrow and I hated myself for it.

At first, I had no idea what was happening to me, just that I hurt too much to do anything on my own. Only after having Erinn go through the motions of feeding me, bathing me and dressing my wounds did it hit me - I had become mortal and that scared me.

I was lucky to have been taken in by someone like Erinn though. She was good natured and patient enough to teach me how to do all of the human things I didn't understand while conveniently filling in a lot of the blanks I didn't have the presence of mind to find excuses for.

_Who was I_? Probably a wandering minstrel. _Why didn't I know how to eat_? Hit my head during my fall. _How did I wind up falling into the river_? Must have been at the top of the waterfall when the earthquake hit. _What was I doing up there_? I was lost, obviously.

It wasn't until I had begun talking on my own - mostly saying things like '_Ow_' and '_Cygnus_' - did Erinn bother me with any questions.

_What was my name_? Altairis.

"_Oh! You have the same name as our village Guardian!_" she had exclaimed. It was all I needed to hear to change my mind about my fate. How could my name still be in the minds of the mortals as Guardian unless I was still truly Celestrian? But I couldn't know for sure... I had to see it, my name etched in stone.

So I set my mind to recovery. I did my best to move on my own and ate as much as I could, hoping that would be enough to heal a mortal body, but it just made things worse. I succeeded only in re-opening my wounds and vomiting, which, despite everything I had already been through, was one of the worst experiences of my life.

Erinn told me there was naught I could do to speed up recuperation, that my body just needed some time. Then I realized something.

"_What of... a healer? Surly their magic could... help_?" I croaked out as Erinn lead me back to my bed. The first I'd ever used.

I remember her frown then, it looked unusual on her normally cheery face and I felt bad for being the one to cause it.

"_This town is so small and secluded, we don't have any magic users here. The pastor did all he knew how but it didn't seem to make any difference_." She sighed helplessly. "_I would like to call in a priest from Stornway just in case, but the mountain pass became blocked after the earthquake... I'm sorry, Altairis, but please, just take it easy._" She said as she gently tucked a soft blanket in around me. "_Besides, you've made remarkable progress since I first found you! I've never seen someone bounce back so quickly without magic. It's truly miraculous._" Granting me a warm smile, Erinn left me to sleep.

It was then that I decided to trust in the Almighty, wherever He may be, and go to sleep thinking 'miraculous' thoughts. Sure enough, a few days later and here I was, up and walking. The first thing I went to see was the Guardian Statue. _My_ Guardian statue.

As I stood there thinking on how the figure of the statue looked incredibly nothing at all like me to an almost offensive degree, I heard a familiar voice from behind. "Hey, it's that Altairis character who turned up just after the earthquake the other day. Oi! Wakey, wakey! What are you doing there, staring off into space?"

Ah, the sweet, insufferable sounds of Ivor.

"It's called 'thinking', Ivor. Sometimes, people with brains do that." I quipped as I turned to face him and Hugo who, no surprise, was with him.

Ivor either didn't hear me over the sound of his own obnoxiousness, or he just ignored me.

I'm betting the former.

"I don't know what Erinn thinks she's doing bothering with the likes of_ her_. She won't tell us where she's from, her clothes are all weird... I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her." Ivor said loudly as if to a crowd, facing me with his smug smile the entire time.

"I bet it's her name that's got Erinn so keen. It is the same as our village Guardian's after all." Hugo mused.

It was probably true. Erinn was always a very devout believer in Celestrians and I remember seeing her eyes light up when I told her my name.

"Huh! I doubt it's even her real name. I bet she's just some no-good wandering minstrel taking on a Guardian's name to get a free lunch. Well, listen to this, oddball! I won't let you get away with any funny business on my patch!" Ivor declared.

For such a thoughtless jerk, I had to admit Ivor was pretty clever. Taking on a Guardians name in hopes of some free accommodations in a small town wasn't a terrible idea, especially if the con was dealing with someone as trusting as Erinn.

"Yeah, watch your step! Ivor doesn't like Erinn giving all of her attention to you." Hugo added.

Oh my. "Aw, that's just precious." I said with a smirk.

Ivor quickly turned towards his friend, his face deep red. "S-Shut up, you idiot! Why would you say that!?"

The color quickly drained from his face when he noticed Erinn coming up the small hill towards our little group. As she approached us she looked... angry? "What's going on? What are you two bothering Altairis for?" Erinn demanded.

Ivor balked. "Er... Hi, Erinn! Nothing's going on. Just teaching Altairis here a few village rules."

"It was a very enlightening chat." I said, smiling at Hugo.

Ivor was sweating. "A-Anyway, we were just leaving. Come on, Hugo." Ivor grabbed his friends arm and the two quickly scurried off.

Erinn shook her head as she watched them leave. "I don't know why Ivor's so full of himself these days. He never used to be like that..." She said sadly. Maybe Ivor's feelings weren't completely unreciprocated? "Anyway, I'm glad you're feeling better now and walking around, Altairis, but make sure you don't overdo it, okay?" Erinn said, turning towards me.

I gave her the most reassuring smile I could. "I promise not to undo all of your hard work, I just really need some fresh air."

"Oh, yes, I can understand that. You have been cooped up in the house for an awfully long time. And fresh air is always good for our health!"

"Is that why you're not at the inn? ...Or were you just going to check in on me?"

Erinn giggled. "Well I _am_ heading home, but only because there's nothing more to do at the inn for now. You just enjoy the fresh air and I'll get dinner ready, alright?"

I nodded and after another round of agreeing to not push myself, Erinn went on her way.

As I watched the young woman pick up the blue skirt of her dress and race home, I couldn't help but wonder how she ended up so motherly and protective when her own mother died when she was still very young. Even now, after the relatively recent death of her father, she was alarmingly sunny.

It made me think of my own mother. She may not have been quite so openly caring as Erinn was, but Celestrians typically weren't. It wasn't like we really needed maternal shielding and reassurance, not like mortals did.

But then, as I remembered Cygnus' terrified face as he was ripped from my arms, I had to question if that was really true.

Before I let myself get bogged down by the sad thoughts of my family and what might have happened to them, I decided to explore Angel Falls in a way I never had before - by foot.

At a glance the town was, plain and simple, _plain_ and _simple_. But that was part of why I enjoyed it so much. Compared to the relative opulence and detail of the Observatory, living here was excitingly new. In fact, the more I believed how wonderful it was that Angel Falls seemed to be everything that the Observatory wasn't, the easier it became to ignore my fear of never returning home.

Instead of being surrounded by stone, everything was green. Green grass in green fields with green trees and even the occasional green roof. Everything was just so natural and earthy... it felt homey in a way that didn't make me think of home.

As I strolled past Erinn's and onto the dirt road leading toward the bridges to the other side of town, I saw two of the village ladies excitedly chatting by the well across the way. One of them seemed to notice me as I went by so I gave them a friendly nod and wave as I went past.

No need to make the flock feel pity for poor old hobbled, homeless me, I thought.

Not that it mattered. The ladies lost their smiles once they saw me, and then begun whispering fiercely to one another, refusing to look away.

All the same, I didn't lose the small smile I had mustered. I feared that if I lost it now, I'd lose it for good.

I knew from my time as master Aquila's apprentice, from watching him look after the people here, that humans in small settlements tended to be superstitious, especially of strangers - Ivor's earlier treatment assured me of that much. But I had always thought of it simply as a quirk certain mortals possessed, nothing to really concern myself with. Now that I was on the receiving end of that suspicion, I felt very differently.

In fact, I just felt differently in general. I may not have become fully mortal like I had first feared, but I was certainly changed. Aside from all of the physical alterations, I also found myself picking up the mortals way of talking. Sure, I still spoke with the same lilt that all Celestrians did but my speech was far more... relaxed. I blamed it on Erinn's persistent chattering while I was resting. Not that I minded all that much, she had an interestingly optimistic view of things that held my own dark thoughts at bay.

By the time I had crossed the second bridge and onto the other side of the town, I felt considerably better. My joints didn't feel as stiff and even though my muscles ached from all the sudden use, it was a good sort of pain. I still had trouble with my balance due to my sudden loss of wings, but the more I moved without them, the more confident I became.

Most of Angel Falls' public buildings were on the south side of town. The two most prominent being the Inn Erinn ran and the lovely old chapel. Both of which garnered a fair amount of attention from visitors and townsfolk alike.

I felt a pang of sadness as I came upon the church. The recent earthquake had done little structural damage to the town as a whole, causing mostly just cosmetic issues. The chapel did not get off so easy. The tiles of its sky blue roof were littered all across the street in pieces. Much of the building itself had become cracked and splintered and many of its priceless stained glass windows were shattered. Most sad of all though was its bell, the crown of the church itself. Torn away from the belfry, the golden instrument lay soundlessly in the dirt. Both the kindly local pastor and church nun had cobbled the place together well enough for it to function, but it had still lost much of its charm and spirit.

Would my home also be a shell of what it once was when I returned to it? If I returned to it? If there was even a home for me to return too- no! I couldn't think that way. I couldn't let myself give up on my hope before I even had a chance to act on it. I shook my head, as if to fling the negative thoughts away from me, then continued my exploration.

Just a short walk from the chapel, I came upon a familiar place that held mixed feelings. As I approached the ranch, a friendly whinny brought a small smile to my face. A familiar, beautiful auburn horse trotted up to me. Nervously, I reached out and rubbed its long face. "Hey there. I remember you..." I did my best not to remember all the cleaning up after it I did as well but some things-some smells-you just do not forget.

Receiving a hearty neigh in response, I felt myself ease up. "You remember me too, don't you?" Though I felt a bit silly talking to an animal, it was nice to see someone recognized me for what I truly was.

Just then, the farmer I had helped seemingly an eternity ago stormed out of the nearest stable, ranting aloud to himself. "I worked and worked and worked, and finally I had enough money to buy another horse only for her to get injured in that earthquake the other day! Of all the rotten luck! And I had Altairis on my side and everything..." Spotting me, the man quickly amended, "Ah, I don't mean you, by the way, so don't get the wrong idea."

Except he _did_ mean me, he just didn't know it. And I was still on his side.

"Sorry to hear about your horse." I said as I continued to pet the one in front of me. "It must be hard to look after so many animals, especially when they can't figure out what's good for themselves on their own."

"Hmph, no doubt a care-free minstrel as yourself would know a whole deal about the hard work I do." The rancher said as he eyed me suspiciously.

"Well, it's true I'm not as experienced at it as you are and definitely in no shape to be doing anything of the sort now," I laughed, "but before I became a minstrel, I did a bit of... shepherding myself."

The man seemed to consider me for a moment before losing the gruff tone in his voice. "Well, seeing the way my Penny takes to ya makes me think you'd of done better with horses than sheep."

Something sad came over me as I thought about the short time I spent caring for my flock, caring for the people here. "Yes... things would probably have turned out better that way."

The rancher let me spend some more time with Penny and the other animals while he went about repairing his farm. After doing what little I could to help out, I figured I shouldn't keep Erinn waiting too much longer and decided on one last stop. To my surprise, the man actually returned my wave as I left.

With a small sense of accomplishment, I continued on to my next destination.

Before I was able to reach the steps of the house in front of me, a young girl hopped down from the small raised area beside the road and skipped merrily in my direction, careful not to trip over her long pink skirt. "Hiya, there!" She chimed as she got close. "You're that wandering minstrel everyone is talking about, _riiight_?"

"I am..."

Her face lit up. "Oooh! Can you please do a pratfall? Oh! Oh! Or maybe a sobering slap! C'mon! Hit me! Hit me!" The girl shouted, pointing to her face.

_What on earth_. "Uh, I think maybe I shouldn't hit a child... people would probably disapprove..." I said, looking around warily, hoping to the Almighty that no one heard her.

A thoughtful look crossed the girls face. "Huh, yeah, probably. Everyone here is so stuffy! That's why I got so excited when Pa said a minstrel was in town! We never have anyone interesting come visit us, not like you!" She said, her blue eyes sparkling.

I couldn't help but laugh.

Cringing at the pain, I took a knee in front of her. "I'm glad you're so excited to meet new people... uh, what is your name, exactly?" I asked.

"Yvette!" She chirped, clasping her hands together. "And I would so love it, just _adoooore_ it, if you would do some gymnastic moves for me, Miss Minstrel Lady! _Pleeeaaasssseeeeeeee_?"

I grimaced. Gymnastics? I didn't know gymnastics! Couldn't she have just asked to hear a story or something? What did this kid think minstrels actually did?

"Uh... ah!" An idea hit me. "Argh, the pain! The pain of all of my various and horrible wounds!" I said as convincingly as I could, gripping my sides in semi-false agony. "Oh it all hurts so much! Oh no! Everything is getting dark! I'm not sure I'll be able to do any gymnastics like this! ...You know, because of all the pain?"

I had never seen a child look so disappointed.

"Oh... well, that's okay I guess. You did get really beat up by the waterfall, after all..."

"You have no idea, Yvette."

Then as suddenly as a gust of wind, she perked right up. "Too bad! I'll just go find someone else to play with!"

"Wait!" I said before she skipped off.

"_Yeeeeessss_? Did someone change their mind?" she asked as slyly as a little girl could.

This kid.

"Ah, no. I was just wondering if I'm at the right house. This is the mayor's place, correct?"

"Yeah! This is where daddy and mommy and Ivor and me live!"

_She_ was Ivor's sister?

"Oh. Oh! Well thank you, Yvette. I hope you find someone more fun than me to play with." I said as I tried to stand.

Tried.

As soon as I shifted my weight upwards, I felt my world spin a little too much and ended up falling flat on my face.

Yvette gasped. "Ooooooh..! Yes! A pratfall! Thank you so much Miss Minstrel Lady! You're the funnest _ever_!" She bellowed in my ear as she gave me an awkward hug.

"Y-You're welcome..." I said, practically kissing the dirt.

Yvette ran off after helping me get back on my feet, and I decided that if I didn't make this visit short, I'd probably end up dead.

Once I got to the door I was unsure of what to do, I had never really paid attention to what mortal procedure came next. I knew when people came to Erinn's home, they would knock first but when they went to see her at the Inn, they just walked through the door.

I stood there for a good two minutes deciding what to do and ended up going the safe route and knocking.

Nothing happened.

I thought about turning back, seeing as it was begining to get dark, but I really wanted to get my meeting with the mayor out of the way. If he found out I had been walking around, talking to his daughter no less, and didn't come to introduce myself? It would be rude and insubordinate and... it just didn't seem like something I could feel right doing as a Celestrian.

So I let myself in and hoped that would be less rude than not showing up at all.

As soon as I began my way down the front hall, I heard voices.

"Isn't it about time you did something useful with yourself rather than just hanging about the place causing trouble? You'd do well to take a leaf out of Erinn's book. She puts in a lot of hard work at the inn, that girl." Said a deep man's voice I did not recognize.

"Huh! What's Erinn got to do with it?" Said a panicky voice I did recognize. "I _am_ trying to find something I want to do, anyway. And when I figure out what that is, I'll work my socks off! ...Probably..."

Turning the corner into the large living room the voices were coming from, I cleared my throat. "Hello there, Ivor. Mayor Litlun." I did a minor, but respectful bow towards the large man standing next to Ivor.

He regarded me coolly. "You're that minstrel who fell from the top of the waterfall, aren't you? The one who Erinn took in?"

"Yes, sir. Since I've managed to get back on my feet I thought it appropriate to introduce myself to you."

The mayor's eyes narrowed. "If your injuries are healed, then I suggest you find yourself some work rather than just hanging about the place." He said before dismissing himself from the room.

I just sort of stood there. Who did he think he was talking to? His son? This had not gone as I thought it would.

"Hey! What are you even doing here?" Ivor asked, running up to me.

"Well, like I had just said, I-"

"Huh! I didn't want anyone to see that!" He interrupted, looking around wildly, then fixing his eyes back on me. "You'd better not tell Erinn, okay? I mean... please don't tell Erinn!"

There was something deeper in his panicky voice this time, something desperate and earnest. He liked this girl more than I first thought and that realization sucked the snark right out of me.

I sighed. "Of course I won't tell her. Or anyone else, for that matter."

Ivor actually thanked me before remembering who he was talking to, then basically told me to get out of his house. I kindly obliged.

The sun had set and the air was cool by the time I made it back home-to Erinn's home I mean. I knew I couldn't get comfortable there, despite how kind some of the people in Angel Falls were. Now that I was back on my feet, I needed to find out what had happened to the Observatory that night, what happened to my real home. I just needed a place to start.

It wasn't until I was in my bed, filled to burst with Erinn's cooking and about to drift to sleep that I remembered something from that night I had forgotten about.

_"I cannot help but think what of Corvus? He is still not returned to us... Is he doomed never to return..?"_

I heard Columba's pained words echo through my head.

Corvus.

Maybe what had happened to me is what happened to him? Maybe... Could I find him?

Then a second, unwanted thought crossed my mind. Were master Aquila and Apus Major as worried about me as Columba was about this Corvus? Was my little brother? _Were they even alive_?

All the feelings I was too in pain to dwell on before overwhelmed me now and for the first time in my life, I let myself cry freely.

**-Author Note-**

_**Finally.**_** Who knew there was so much to do in a Podunk town like Angel Falls? What's truly exciting however, is that we finally get to start killing things again next chapter! Yay! Hopefully that will come to me easier than all of this was.**

**Fun fact? First of all, when I started playing this part of the game again, I realized that I had designated Hugo the entirely wrong hair color the last chapter he was in. Because he is very much not brunette. Not that it really matters because who even cares about Hugo? Not this author. Also, I chose to name Ivor's little sister Yvette because Ivor means 'Yew' and I wanted to find a female name that meant the same thing. 'Kaya' was also an option and fit her well, but I just wasn't feeling 'Ivor' and 'Kaya' in the same family. Also, am I the only one who thought Mayor Litlun came off as a huge jerk to the main character in-game? **


	6. Chapter 5: Improbable Kindness

I slept deep. It had scared me at first, shutting down my senses like that. It left me vulnerable and the process of awakening was not a pleasant or efficient one. Still, once the nightmares had worn out, I found myself enjoying sleep more than I had expected myself to. It was a welcome escape from my uncertain reality and I chose to revel in it.

Despite my desperate grasp on the dream world, everything fled the moment a gentle pair of hands rocked me awake. "Morning, Altairis!" I heard a cheery female voice say as I cast my bleary sleep-laden eyes up towards the slight figure standing over me.

"Erinn... Morning?" I managed, my voice rough and hard to find in my tiredness.

Was it really time to get up already? I let my eyes wander around the small room I had been designated since my stay there. The single window to my left had been opened, allowing in birdsong and a cool, invigorating breeze. More importantly though, the soft blue light of a sun not-quite-risen flooded in from it, bathing the space in a wraithlike glow.

The sun had not yet deigned to rise, so neither would I.

With a yawn, I pulled the warm blanket up around me to stave off the cold and closed my eyes once more, willing my dreams to return to me.

Erinn would have none of it.

"Come on, get up!" She shook me again, still careful not to press any of my bandages.

"_Why_?" I whined. Almighty, when had I become a whiner? "...I was having this dream... You were there and so was this metal slime and I just... I want to..." I gave up on words and just laid there.

I was not looking forward to this day. A day so full of improbability and chaos. It hadn't really hit me throughout my recovery but now that I was conscious long enough to actually take in my situation, I realized something. I dearly missed the structured life of living in the Observatory. I missed having a purpose and direction at every moment. Nothing that Erinn could offer me would change that right now. Nothing could make this day any less frightening.

"You have a_ vi-si-tor_." Erinn said sing-song, knowing her words would catch my attention.

My eyes shot open. Who could it be? I couldn't imagine many of the humans in town had reason - or desire - to visit me and surely Penny the horse couldn't visit someone... could she? Or perhaps it was mayor Litlun, here to make a more formal introduction! Certainly that must be it. No individual of such authority would be as rude as he was yesterday without offering apology afterwards, right? Mortals weren't completely barbaric, after all. That _did_ change things. I could not keep him waiting.

I sat up. Erinn moved in close to help me but there was no need. The only thing that held me back now was the weight of sleep. My wounds had healed. "Alright. I think I know who-"

"It's Ivor." Erinn said quickly.

"Ugh." I flopped back down onto the bed.

"He's got something or other he wants to talk to you about." She pleaded.

"Just... go tell him I'm out dungeon crawling or something, will you?"

"He knows you're here, so I can't very well turn him away. Just give him a few minutes of your time, okay?"

I took a moment to think. "...Bah! Fine. I lost my dream already anyway." I finally conceded.

Honestly, I just knew I'd feel guilty further pressing Erinn to lie for me. She wasn't one to be knowingly dishonest and I didn't want to change that in her. Really, Erinn was unfailingly kind and sweet and maybe a little to-

"Look, If Ivor says anything rude to you, make sure you don't let him get away with it. I generally only give him three chances before I strike back." Erinn said thoughtfully.

Erinn... Striking back? Striking anything? Color me surprised.

"Heh, don't worry about that. Just distract him for a few minutes while I try to put myself together. ...I'm sure he'd love to spend some time with you anyway." I gently prodded.

To my surprise, she looked sad rather than flustered. "No, I don't think that's true... not anymore." But before I had time to question her, she quickly pasted on a smile and continued. "But don't worry! I'm sure Ivor won't mind if you take your time getting up. He knows you're injured after all."

Once I had explained that I actually felt quite good, albeit a bit sore, Erinn excitedly went down stairs to start breakfast, allowing me take care of myself for the first time since my fall.

It didn't take long to get myself looking... human.

Because my Guardian uniform was dirty from my adventures around town the day before, Erinn had kindly put together some things for me to wear. They were just odds and ends but it was enough and between the bandana, leather shoes and plain clothes, I had never looked, well, so _plain_ before.

It wasn't that I prided myself in my appearance, in fact, I didn't think about my appearance much at all. It was that, in their clothes, I just didn't feel one bit like a Celestrian and I _did_ pride myself in my race. I had never realized what an impact things as simple as cloth could make. It seemed that without my Celestrian garb on, there wasn't really anything Celestrian left about me.

With a small sigh, I pinned the massive mess of pink curls sprouting from my scalp up under the blue bandana Erinn had left me, then headed downstairs.

Erinn stood in the kitchen, pulling something delicious smelling from the stone stove while her grandfather took his usual seat across from the window overlooking my guardian statue and the falls. It all created a lovely sort of atmosphere, perfect with which to start the day. It was so... different from the feel of my own home. I liked it.

Something was displacing the happy energies though, something was not where it belonged. It was Ivor, standing by the front door looking the same as he always seemed to - nervous.

I said my good morning to Erinn's grandfather, nabbing a heavenly bit of cooked pork off of his plate and made my way over to Ivor.

"Hey, Altairis." He said as I strolled over to him, my eyebrows raised. "Don't look so surprised. There's something I want to talk to you about, that's all."

I crossed my arms and fixed my face in a deep scowl, mimicking master Aquila's imposing attitude as best I could. "Then talk." I growled.

Unflinching under my glare, Ivor looked pass me and at Erinn. "...We can't talk about it here. Come outside a minute." He said before squirreling out the door.

Well then. Apparently I was not as frightening as my master. How disappointing.

With a shrug, I followed Ivor out the door and around the far side of the house. He stood away from the windows, yet still looked about warily. How paranoid could this kid get? "Be honest with me, Ivor. Is this going to be about your deep, soul crushing love for Erinn? Because I really don't think I can help you with that. "

His face flooded red "W-What!? Why would you even think that? She's just a silly inn girl! I mean, that's not to say she isn't just the most beauti- uh, I meant to say... It's just that me and Erinn, well. Wait. Argh! That's not what I came here to say! Not that there's anything to say about us. Well, not _'us' _but you know..."

I smiled as I watched Ivor trip all over himself. It seemed that there was nothing that frightened him quite as much as his own feelings.

I decided to interrupt him before he had a complete breakdown. "Ivor!" I shouted, ceasing his babbling. "I believe there was something you wanted to talk to me about?"

Ivor cleared his throat as he gathered himself. "Ahem, yes. So here's the thing. You've heard about how the pass has been blocked by a landslide, right?"

I nodded. Of course I did, that landslide was the reason Erinn couldn't call on a healer for me. It was the reason I had to wait so long for my body to mend itself.

"Well, that pass is a lifeline for us in Angel Falls. We're totally cut off if we can't use it. It's a real problem for Eri- A real problem for everyone, I mean."

"_Riiiight_. I understand that it's a problem for 'everyone'. What are you getting at?"

"Well I was thinking: what better time for Ivor to come to the rescue? I'm going to clear the landslide and make it passable again." He said, mater-of-factly.

I felt my face twist in suspicion. "You? Clear a landslide? A whole landslide? ..._You_?"

Ivor didn't seem to catch the question. "It'll get my dad off my back for a while, and I know Erinn will be pleased as well." He muttered mostly to himself.

"You're so noble."

"There's just one hitch with my perfect plan." He said, remembering that I was actually supposed to be a part of this conversation.

"Just one?"

He nodded. "Since the earthquake, there have been lots of monsters about, and it's pretty dangerous to leave the village now..."

I frowned. Was this really true? I supposed monsters could be aggravated by natural disasters but I hadn't really thought about it. I shuddered at the idea of little Angel Falls boxed in by nature, alone with tons of angry monsters. This place wouldn't stand a chance. "That _is_ a problem. But I'm having a hard time figuring out why you're telling me all this."

Ivor smiled at me. It was awful.

"That's about where you come in. I was thinking that maybe you could tag along."

I almost laughed. "What makes you think I'll be any help?"

"You minstrel types are generally pretty handy in a scrap, right? Can I count on you to help me out?"

Were minstrels good in a scrap? I thought they just sung old songs and told stories from other parts of the world. I must have a lot to learn about my false identity.

"It'll be a great way to repay Erinn for helping you out." Ivor added.

I sighed. There was so much wrong with this. Aside from being a terrible plan done for less than honorable reasons, I really didn't know if I _could_ help.

I wasn't much of a fighter. I trained, sure, I trained hard but I had only been in one battle and my very capable master was there helping the entire time. More than that though, I didn't know if my training would even help in a heavy, clunky body like this. And I... I was scared. Now that I knew pain, I knew that I didn't want to suffer it any longer, I wanted to avoid it at all costs.

I was a coward.

But I was still the guardian of Angel Falls, my fall hadn't changed that and I couldn't let it continue to change me. My flock needed me. "Sure, Ivor." I said finally. "I'd love to see how this plan works out."

His face brightened. "Knew it! Right then, you lead the way, Altairis."

"Wait. What?"

When did this become _my_ terrible idea?

"Oho, don't worry, It's easy enough to find. You just head out of the village and follow the road east."

"That's not-"

"Oh yeah, and let's keep this to ourselves, okay? We don't want everyone sticking their beaks in."

Before I could reply, Erinn strode towards us, a look of suspicion on her face. "What's going on? How come you and Ivor are so pally?" She asked, looking at me.

Ivor jumped in to answer straight away. "We got off on the wrong foot, but now we've had the chance to chat, we've found that we get on okay after all." Ivor said, beaming at her.

It was surprising just how easy it was for him to lie, especially to someone who normally unwinds him with a glace. Equally surprising was his grin. Unlike the one he gave me earlier, this one made him look quite... respectable. Charming, even!

"That's why we're hanging around together. Just trying to get to know each other a bit better." He continued, casually draping an arm around my shoulder.

Erinn looked to me for confirmation.

"Yeah, what he said."

What? They never went over lying in guardian training.

The expression on Erinn's face became easy, losing the questions in her eyes. "I must admit that it sounds a bit unlikely. Still, if you're getting on, that's the main thing. Oh! here." Erinn handed me a small, warm bundle. "If you're going to be running off around town you should be sure to eat. I know you're feeling better, Altairis, but I don't want you collapsing like you did yesterday. You must keep your strength up!"

I peeked inside the pouch and was greeted with the glorious aroma of salted pork strips and homemade bread. Like sleep, eating had been one of the most frightening things about my recovery but now I've come to understand why the mortals do those two things so much. "Oh, I'll be sure to eat this, Erinn. No worries." I said, my mouth watering.

Erinn then went back inside to go tend to her own rumbling stomach, leaving Ivor and I alone. As soon as the door shut, Ivor wrenched his arm from around me and the suave facade he wore fell away. It seemed that I was stuck with the original flavor Ivor for today. _Yay._

"I said all that just to keep Erinn off my back, so don't go getting the wrong idea. I still don't trust you very much." He said.

I laughed. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Remember that time I promised not to tell anyone about your father tearing into you for being a lay about? Or when I decided to help you out just a few minutes ago? Or when I basically lied to the girl who has been caring for me since I got here just for your comfort? Yeah, okay. But I'm not trustworthy or anything. Sure." Before he had the chance to rebuttal I headed off down the road towards the towns item shop.

Without protest, Ivor followed behind.

"What're we doing here?" He asked as I strolled inside.

"You want me to help you out? You're going to buy me a weapon."

The store was befitting of a town like Angel Falls. It was quaint but charming and surprisingly varied. Jars of herbs lined the wooden shelves on either side of us while all the bits and pieces of armor and accessories for sale were displayed on the walls. What I was looking for was behind the counter though-racks of weapons stood there, gleaming. Swords, whips and... fans? Who would use a fan to kill something?

"Hey! Why am_ I_ buying you a weapon? Don't you have any money?"

"Well sure, I _did_. I also had my own sword but that was before I fell. They were washed away by the river."

Maybe I wasn't so bad at lying. I did lose my bronze sword but I never owned a piece of gold in my life, what Celestrian had?

Ivor's eyes narrowed. "If this is some trick to get free-"

"Oh stuff it, you. I'll pay you back today. Once the monster murdering gets started I'll hand you all the gold I find, alright? It should more than pay off a..." I trailed off, looking at the weapons. "Ah! A Soldier's sword, perfect."

Ivor rolled his eyes but begrudgingly paid the owner as I took a few practice swings. I felt a bit of my former confidence surface as I held the familiar weight of a blade in my grasp. I may be of some use yet, it seemed.

As we headed across the second bridge and into the south side of town, a familiar face came skipping up to us. I heard Ivor groan behind me.

Yvette stopped and smiled up at me, clasping her hands together in glee. "Oh! Miss Minstrel Lady Ma'am! Have you decided to do a performance for the town today? Oh please say that you will!" She pleaded with me, eyes brimming with hope.

"Ah, I'm sorry Yvette, I hate to disappoint you but I-"

"Just kidding!" She suddenly shouted, throwing her hands up. "That's just what daddy wishes you'd do instead of mooching off of Erinn. He says the townsfolk could really use the boost!"

"M-Mooching?!" I had never been so offended. "You father does know I've only just recovered, right? _From falling off a waterfall_? "

This must be some sort of mistake. Authority figures liked me, I'm great! I'm polite and a hard worker and... and! It wasn't my fault I was all beaten up!

"Yep!" Yvette chirped, breaking my heart a little more. "But I know your secret." She said, lowering her voice to a less painful decibel. "I know how you and my brother are going off to the mountain pass!"

"_Shh_!" Ivor broke into the conversation, arms flailing. "Keep your voice down, will you? We don't want the whole world to know!" He whispered angrily.

Yvette gave her brother a well-practiced, condescending smile. "It's okay._ I won't tell Dad_, if that's what you're worried about."

This kid.

"Yeah, well just make sure you don't, okay?" Ivor replied as he began pushing me in the direction of the town gate.

Yvette waved enthusiastically after us as we made our way down the dirt road. Once we passed by the ranch, I decided to try my hand at talking to Ivor like I would have liked to when I was invisible, to try to get to know him. "I can't help but notice how bubbly and friendly your sister is, Ivor. Were you like that as a child too?"

To my surprise, he wasn't resistant to conversation. "Nah. Not like Yvette. She really takes after our mom."

"Oh. I haven't met the mayor's wife yet. She must be quite the woman."

Ivor smiled, it was small, but it was genuine. "Mom's great. She's not pushy at all like dad is. I just wish she weren't so sick these days."

"She's sick?"

As he answered, his face became sad... concerned. "Yeah, just how Erinn was when she first got here. But I'm sure she'll get better, we have some of the freshest air and the purest water. I know she'll get strong again."

I fell silent as we approached the town gate. I hadn't meant to make him so sad and I never realized Erinn had been sick before, it was hard to imagine considering how hard she worked now.

Ivor fell in behind me as I marched towards the open fields outside of Angel Falls. Before we made it past the gateway though, I was greeted by Hugo. "Here comes another lamb to the slaughter! You can't go out there, you know. There are monsters about."

Before I had the chance to say anything, Ivor groaned and pushed me out of the way. "Stop trying to scare people! We're leaving the village and there's nothing you can do about it."

Hugo stared at his friend in shock. "W-Wait a minute! What are you doing with _her_, Ivor? Since when were you best mates?"

I gave Hugo my most haughty scoff as I forcibly clutched Ivor's hand in my own. "It took only one private moment at his house last night to know we could never deny our feelings for one another. He and I are lovers, Hugo, and he likes me better than you!"

His jaw dropped.

"Gah!" Ivor screamed as he shook off my hand. "W-What is wrong with you!? Why would you say something like that!?"

"Ivor... " Hugo said, his voice astonished. "Is it true? ..._Do you really like her more than me_?"

I laughed so hard I thought I was going to die.

"You are both such a pain sometimes!" Ivor shouted in frustration. Turning to his friend, he clarified. "We're just going to clear the landslide, that's _all_. Don't listen to a word that woman says!"

I couldn't stop laughing.

"Oh, right... But there really are monsters about, you know." Hugo said, still miffed.

"Nothing I can't handle. Just let us by, will you? Hold us up any longer and there'll be trouble!"

I shouldn't have been surprised to hear Ivor threaten his friend but it did cease my cackling. I felt a little bad for Hugo, really.

Well, sort of.

"G-Go on then. I'm not stopping you. But if you get tired or hurt, you'll come straight back to the village if you know what's good for you."

With that warning in mind, we stepped out into the wild.

I knew quite a bit about the area around Angel Falls, I studied it on my own in preparation for master Aquila's lessons and again with him by my side. Still, the place felt quite different from this angle.

The steep, rocky cliffs that surrounded the entire area never looked quite so high before and the rolling hills of green never so vast. It was frightening but beautiful. The river that ran from the waterfall in town dumped into a serene lake in the middle of it all that heralded the half-way point of our journey east.

Ivor refused to talk to me most of the way there but broke his silence by threatening to push me into the lake as we passed. I took it as a unique sign of forgiveness and began talking about the area.

I shouldn't have been surprised to find that Ivor knew just as much about the place as I did. Apparently, he had spent a lot of time out there gathering medicinal and antidotal herbs for his mother and even sometimes to sell to the item shop.

"And over there, " he said, pointing across the lake, "lies a great spot for harvesting Tanglewebs."

"Tanglewebs? Did your mother ask you for those too?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I bring those home for Yvette from time to time. She doesn't like being left behind but there's no way I'd bring a noisy brat like her out here to attract monsters to me."

I chuckled. "Speaking of which... where are all of these monsters, anyway? We haven't ran into a single one." I said, feeling slightly awkward with my shiny new Soldier's sword hanging off my hip.

Ivor had no answers but was pleased to see that despite him having asked for my help, it was I that somehow ended up in debt to him.

Because our journey had been uneventful, we were making phenomenal time and agreed to take the detour around the lake and fetch little Yvette some Tanglewebs and harvest a few antidotal herbs on the way. As we ambled through the wooded area en route to our destination, I asked him about Erinn. "You said she was sick when she first came to Angel Falls, right? Can you tell me about that?"

Ivor shrugged. "There's not much to tell. Apparently her mom was sickly and so was she. I remember when she and her dad first moved here. Erinn was always upstairs in her bed all day, all skinny and ghastly pale. Heh, I remember brining her flowers almost every day thinking that would make her better. See, folks always brought mom and dad flowers whenever they weren't feeling their best and then they ended up getting well again so I thought that's just how it worked.

I was starting to get real upset that no matter how many flowers I got her, she just wouldn't get out of bed. Then one day I went over to her house to tell her I wasn't going to bother with it anymore when I noticed her standing outside, all on her own. She was looking at that dumb guardian statue of ours, crying.

I went over there and that silly girl was smiling as she was bawling her eyes out! And she looked so... well, I was a kid and I thought she looked funny standing there all crazy like that but really, I'll never forget how pretty I thought she was... how pretty she is.

Funny thing is, she doesn't seem to remember her time being sick, I mean, she is a bit younger than me but still! I think that's why she's so keen on Celestri-whatevers, even if she doesn't know it. Anyway, I'll always remember..." He trailed off, awkwardly realizing how much he had been talking.

"Not much to tell, huh?" I teased.

"Aw, shut up." He said, blushing.

"You know..." I began as we started carefully picking Tanglewebs from an abandoned nest. "Erinn seems to think you don't like her very much anymore, or at least that's the vibe I was getting from her this morning."

Ivor stiffened. "What? But that's not true at all! ...Well, maybe I haven't been so nice to her lately..."

"But why? Why be rude to someone you seem to care for so much? I don't understand it."

Ivor chucked the Tangleweb he was holding. "It's just that I'm frustrated! I don't know why I'm mean to her! When I was nice it never seemed to be enough and then she went and forgot all the things I did for her when she was sick... the flowers, the talks, her crying and smiling in my arms... All of it gone! Why waste kindness on someone who never remembers it?"

I put my hands on my hips, scowling at him. "Oh that's just silly! Of course being nice to someone isn't going to make them fall in love with you! Even _I_ know people don't work that way. And besides, Erinn isn't a child anymore and she certainly isn't sick. The kind things you do for her now will not be forgotten, just as the unkind things aren't."

"But-"

"_And furthermore_, you can't hold her memory loss against her like that! I've been in a bed for only a week and have a hard time remembering what happened during, I can't imagine how tough that would be for someone who was bedridden all their childhood. Just... be honest with her and yourself. I can see that you're capable of incredible kindness, Ivor, and I think that's something Erinn could need right now. And besides," I said, losing the edge in my voice, "I don't believe she's forgotten the things you've done for her. If she had, she wouldn't have been so sad to see you act towards her the way you do."

Hurt flashed across Ivor's face. "Sad? I made her... Aw man, that's not what I want at all!"

Sighing in frustration, Ivor suddenly went over and picked up the Tangleweb he had tossed, then handed it to me.

"What's this for?" I asked.

"You take this and the herbs we collected. I'll keep a web for Yvette and you sell all the rest at the shop. It won't be enough to pay me all back yet but whatever, I know you're good for it. I trust you."

That brought a grin to my face. "Thanks. Now what do you say we hurry on and deal with that landslide for Eri-er, for everyone's sake?"

Ivor smiled. "Yeah! Ivor to the rescue! And remind me to stop and pick some flowers on our triumphant way back, alright?"

I smirked as we made our way back east towards the mountain pass. His plan was still rubbish but I was pretty happy to have been included in it. Popping the last bit of bacon I had left into my mouth, I decided that a day so full of improbability wasn't so bad after all.

**-Author Note-**

**A few things, first off, my apologies for this being so late and rushed. Real life ensued and I just didn't have the time to write and post this earlier. Also, I'll be without internet for about a week so I won't be updating then. I WILL be writing though so when I'm back I should be able to make up for the lateness of this chapter.**

**Also, I was playing ahead and realized that there is a Celestrian named Cygnus. He's one of the two guardians of Stornway. For the sake of this Fic, he will not exist, not that it changes the story any but I kind of like my Cygnus and it won't hurt the Canon any. Oh, and I know that I said we'd get to fight some mons this chapter buuuut I literally didn't run into a single one on my way to the pass. I ran along the road so I could gauge what time it would be when the heroes got there and yeah, no encounters. It was weird.**


	7. Chapter 6: Grace and Guts

Once Ivor and I made our way out of the wooded area to the west, we agreed we had done enough talking. Instead, we chose to use up all the energy we thought we'd be spending on monster slaying on a friendly little race to the mountain pass.

Boy was I out of shape.

I had been feeling heavy since my confinement to the ground and I had assumed that my aches and pains from falling would impede me but... _wow_. Without my wings to propel me, everything relied on my legs and they weren't quite up to the task.

For a Celestrian, my legs were strong. I walked far more than was truly necessary of my kind in no small thanks to my constantly growing fascination with mortals. Regardless, these legs did not compare to a true humans. As Ivor sprung forward after '_Go_', I barely begun to move. Hardly even a minute in and my lower body begun to feel wobbly.

I had been entirely confident in myself as per usual, despite having only begun to walk without falling all over the place today. It seemed to be a curse of not only my blood but of my own personality to believe I was always in such absolute control - that I could never possibly fail or fall short somehow. I was only now seeing how foolish that truly was.

It was doubly foolish of me to race against someone like Ivor. He was a picture of perfect health. Well, maybe not perfect emotional health, but physically he was superb. He may not have had the outrageous upper body muscles some of the older men in town did because of his disdain for physical labor, but he was brimming with vitality and his leanness made him quick and agile.

I could only criticize his not-so-aerodynamic tower of blonde hair he obsessively styled. He may have trounced me in a race but he looked ridiculous doing it. Not that anything short of a glorious victory would see my pride assuaged.

Despite my relatively glacial pace, I made it to the pass just as the sun reached its highest point in the sky.

Leaning against a tree, Ivor waited for me. As I carried my leaden feet forward, he smiled - his arms crossed and his face smug. Breathlessly we continued on into the forested mountain clearing. Okay, so I was the only breathless one, Ivor simply didn't talk. He didn't need to, he was happy to let his eyes silently gloat as I awkwardly tried to catch my breath.

I would have glowered at him if I had the energy for it.

Trying to ignore my weakening limbs, I took a good look at the scenery around me. Having only experienced an aerial view of the land, I never realized just how extraordinary nature was. We had trees, grass and flowers in the Observatory but mostly I lived around smooth stone and sculpted columns. It was astonishing to see just how varied plant life was down in the protectorate; or rather, how sparse it was at home.

The only flowers I had known were the pink water lilies and ghostly white tulips of the Observatory. Each of them carefully placed and tended for - they were groomed with the same love of structure we Celestrians ourselves were. Alongside the path I trudged on now were a myriad of colored petals blanketing the ground either side of us, all unfamiliar and exciting. They bloomed wild and free of any need for conformity. They were beautiful.

Even the trees, though almost uniform compared to their flower neighbors, were still far more unique than I had ever given them credit for. From above they just seemed like a peaceful sea of green but up close their diversity was quite clear. Leaves of all shapes and sizes waved at me in the breeze and I had the strangest urge to fly up and touch them, feel the difference between the foliage of the protectorate and that of the Observatory. It fascinated me.

It was also a painful reminder that I didn't have wings anymore and probably no home to return to either. I pushed it from my mind. As if I had the energy and Ivor the patience to let me feel up the trees, anyhow.

Not a minute later, the trail opened up considerably. From the clearing proper were two paths; a small offshoot to the south with a tiny pond at its end and a well-trodden road northward that curved further east. In the midst of it all, setting dead-on in front of me, was a broken and battered carriage of the Starflight Express.

I just stood there, wide eyed and gasping for air. I wasn't sure if it was from my being out of shape, the shock of seeing something from the Observatory or the sudden violent surge of emotion lancing through me but I couldn't get my heart to slow down.

The front of the Starflight Express sat there, impassive and lacking its usual glow. All of its fine details were still there but it looked like a mere ghost of the exquisite being it once was. I imagined I must have looked quite the same.

Ivor waved a hand in front of my face. "Hey, what is wrong with you? What are you staring at?" He asked, one part concerned, most parts eager to keep going.

I couldn't find my voice. I simply pointed ahead of me, my finger trembling slightly. How could he not have noticed it already?

Ivor turned to look more closely. A second later he gave me a confused glance. "It's just a fallen tree. I don't get what's so fascinating about it. ...You can be properly weird sometimes, you know that?" He said, patting me roughly on the back as he waited for me to catch my breath.

So he couldn't see it at all? Was I so tired and home sick that I was hallucinating things?

I coughed and sputtered a bit before speaking again. "Ah, yeah I'm just worn out, you know? You uh, you just go on ahead without me, okay? It might take awhile before my legs solidify again." I said, sheepishly rubbing my still throbbing shins.

Ivor rolled his eyes. "Leave me to do all the work, huh? Fine, I'll go on ahead but you better get a hold of yourself quick!" He shouted as he ran off up the path north.

It was nice he didn't need much convincing to leave me behind. I guess?

Once he was out of sight, I let myself fall backwards onto the dirt as gently as I could manage. My muscles felt over worked and heavy as stone and I gladly gave into gravity's embrace. Closing my eyes to keep out the blinding sun, I took deep breaths and began questioning my sanity.

I had seen the Starflight Express fall that night. I _knew _that happened. Its destruction heralded the whole shebang to follow. I remembered the screams and looks of horror far too vividly to have just imagined that part. They fell and that meant the pieces had to have ended up somewhere...

As I felt my heart slow it's pace, I crooked my neck forward to chance a look in the Starflights direction. "Still there..." I murmured.

Unsure of whether or not to be relieved that the situation wasn't all just a figment of my imagination, I forced myself back on my protesting feet and wandered over to the train car.

I cautiously pressed my fingertips against the engravings on the back door. The metal was painfully cold and I withdrew my hand with a slight gasp. I found it difficult to come to terms with touching the Starflight for the first time. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Why had everything gone so horribly wrong?

I sucked in my breath and tried to steel myself for what I would do next. This was the front car of the express so it should have what I need to run it inside. I just needed to _get _inside. So I clasped the handle to the door and tried with all my might to open it up, pain exploding though me and hissing out of my throat as I clung to the burning cold metal.

It wasn't moving.

I let go and held my bleeding hands instinctively to my chest, doubling over. The skin of my palms blistered in places and I wondered idly through a haze of pain if I could have Ivor just hack them off at the wrist for me. I shot a spiteful glance at the Starflight. It's door wasn't locked by some mere mechanism but rather sealed by some greater means, like magic.

Then something inside of me clicked. _Magic_!

I never studied magic much, it just didn't interest me the same way weapons training did. It didn't demand the same sense of dance and grace. There was one spell, however, that every Celestrian knew: Heal.

It was the most simple of the restorative spells and was considerably useful in the hands of a proper priest. I was no priest. I couldn't manage to drum up the spell after my fall, when I needed it most, and had since cast the notion of trying to use it again from my mind. I didn't like that feeling of failure - it made the pain just that much more intense.

But I certainly couldn't let my wounded pride rob me of the chance to use my hands again. I searched for that well of power deep within my chest. It was a place that was inside of me, but felt like it was coming from an entirely different source. It was a small part of my being, but somehow managed to be bigger than myself. It was a confusing feeling and I realized then just how out of touch I was with my magic.

I mumbled the short incantation for the spell almost apologetically and focused the sparks of healing energy welling within me towards my palms. I probably could have spared some healing for my defeated limbs but I didn't want to risk over estimating my magical mending as I tended to do with everything else. My legs would get strong again in time.

After the pain faded and my skin smoothed back into a recognizable shape, that well of magic within me felt noticeably drained. That was the problem with ignoring my spell casting - just like my muscles, it would grow weak with time if I didn't train it.

I flexed my fingers a few times while I contemplated what to do about the Starflight. I didn't let myself have much time to find any answers though, I still had a job to do here. I felt a pang of shame as I made my way down the road Ivor had taken earlier.

What had I really planned to do? Take the Starflight home and never look back? Sure, there was no way Ivor and I were really going to clear a landslide today but he had still asked for my help and I agreed to give it. Was I really okay with abandoning one of my flock like that? Even if Ivor didn't believe in Celestrians and even if I wasn't feeling much like one, I shouldn't be okay with just picking and choosing when and when not to act as a Guardian whenever it suited me. I didn't want to be that kind of person.

I... I take my job seriously.

It wasn't long till I caught up with Ivor and the huge mess he'd claimed he and I would heroically sort out. The landslide was, well, _a landslide_. Earth, rocks and bits of trees cluttered the wide path in a giant pile in front of us and effectively ceased any notions any young men might have had about clearing the thing up.

Ivor stood, leaning against the wall of earth to the left of us, his eyes closed and a look of complete misery etched into his face. Worry usually made people look older. It just made Ivor look petulant and childish.

"So, how goes the mission?" I asked, alerting him to my presence.

He jolted in response, then sighed the heaviest sigh I'd ever heard. "Oh, there you are." He said, his voice lacking the contempt I had expected. Ivor turned towards the landslide, "This is worse than I thought! It's so much bigger than I imagined... you and I will never be able to shift this on our own. Stupid landslide!" He snarled, fists clenched.

I wanted to tease him for really believing we could have ever cleared up an entire landslide on our own but he had that same sincere frustration I saw in him during our conversation about he and Erinn's past and I couldn't bring myself to mess with him.

At a loss, I said nothing and just stood beside him. Not long after, he continued speaking, his voice taking on that strange warbled quality of someone about to cry. "I was all ready to see the look on Dad's face when I came back to the village a hero... " Suddenly, he kicked the base of the landslide, sending bits of earth flying up in his own face. He broke down into heavy sobs, hugging his knees to his chest.

Ivor was full of unexpected emotions it seemed. I felt like I had been handling him pretty well thus far but I was mortified by his tears. It wasn't like Clestrians never cried. I acknowledged my need to cry, just as we all did, but it was such a private and controlled thing, not something we displayed for others. I felt ashamed for him and then ashamed at my own reaction to it.

I forgot that we were completely different creatures, he and I. We had similar emotions but not similar upbringings. He had a sister, a father, a mother - a family. He had someone to love. I didn't really have those things, whether or not I pretended to. I could label Cygnus as my brother but that didn't give me the same kind of relationship and history with him as Ivor and Yvette had. I was just playing make believe. Ivor had a very real pressure placed on him because of those relationships too. He couldn't control what other people expected of him and couldn't measure up to all their conflicting demands and this was what it was doing to him - making him cry like a child at the drop of a hat.

He was not so lucky to be born free of these things, to be born Celestrian, and it was wrong of me to judge him as if we were equals in that matter. Celestrians did not have conflicting demands, only clear orders. In shames place I found pity.

Before that painfully awkward moment had a chance to linger a moment longer, a voice rang out from the other side of the landslide. "Hellooo! Is somebody there?" A masculine voice bellowed, snapping Ivor and I out of our tumultuous thoughts. "Hellooo! If you're there, say something!"

Ivor straightened up as he shouted in reply. "Hey! I'm over here. It's me, Ivor from Angel Falls. No doubt you've heard of me!"

Glad to see he's feeling better, then.

"Jings! Someone from angel Falls! We're soldiers sent from Stornway. King Schott sent us to clear the landslide."

Ivor turned to me wide eyed. "Blimey! The King of Stornway must really rate Angel Falls to bother helping us out like that."

I contemplated that. "Well I'm sure he does but I doubt leaving the slide here is hardly in the best interest for his own people either. I guess it doesn't matter, so long as it gets done. But what does this mean for us right now?" I asked, hoping the answer would be along the lines of _'letting them do their jobs'_.

Ivor shrugged. "I suppose that means we're not really needed here, then. Let them have at it. Huh! Now I wish we hadn't bothered coming all this way."

I wasn't sure whether to be glad or to admonish him for giving up on his plans so easily. As we turned to leave, another soldier cried out towards us. "Excuse me! There's an urgent matter we need to ask you about. Do you happen to know if a lass called Patty made her way to your village just after the earthquake?"

Ivor narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment then looked toward me. "Your real name isn't Patty, right?"

Now it was my turn to narrow my eyes. "My real name is _Altairis._" I assured.

Ivor gave me a skeptical look before answering the soldier. "Nope, doesn't ring any bells. Why would she want to come to Angel Falls anyway?"

"Aye, well, rumor has it she was on her way there through the Hexagon. The path there's been blocked too, though, so we've no way of finding out where she is."

"The Hexagon? That old ruin we used to have to go traipsing all the way through before this pass was built?" Ivor said to himself, voice full of disbelief. "No one goes there anymore. It's jam-packed with monsters and falling apart so badly it might come down on your head!" He replied more loudly. "There's no way a woman would go there alone. The rumors must be wrong."

I scanned my memory for mention of the Hexagon and frowned at what I came up with. It was a structure on the far south of the land that was built into the mountains. I remembered poking around the entrance before during my studies but decided against going inside. Celestrians were all a bit claustrophobic by nature. We get all jittery when we can't see the sky at any given moment and the Hexagon was completely underground. It was a less than ideal place for my kind and I had a terrible feeling about the place.

"Alright, well perhaps you could just relay to your village the fact that the road will be open again soon. And if you could ask around about Patty while you're at it, that'd be grand." The soldier said, a bit discouraged.

Ivor didn't seem to notice. "No problemo! Just leave it to me. You can always count on Ivor!" He shouted with a renewed sense of excitement. He turned to me, making me feel tired in the face of his boundless energy. "Come on, Altairis, home time! I reckon they'll all be pretty pleased to hear the news." He ran off ahead of me.

I was not in shape for another race with this boy. "Ivor, W-Wait! You gotta tell me, what does what does 'Jings' mean!?" I shouted as I slogged after him.

I chanced another glance at the Starflight Express as we ran through the clearing. Rubbing my palms, I decided then that I had to come back there and investigate more thoroughly. The thought of discovering more about my situation filled me with a second wind and I steadily caught up with Ivor.

By 'caught up' I mean I could actually see him again. He had been ambushed by monsters.

That really set my feet to moving. No one was going to get away with attacking my flock!

He had been stopped by a Sacksquatch and a Cruelcumber, both some of the stronger foes in the area. I felt the set of my jaw harden as I looked at the Cruelcumber and his spear, memories of my one and only battle flashing through my mind, it's blood spilling down my bronze sword. I longed for that feeling of victory again.

Readying my blade, I charged.

A more agile enemy would have had plenty of time to avoid my attack. Pink blood spurted forth from the hole I left in its torso as I drew back my sword. Before I gave it a chance to recover, I scored another cut across the monsters abdomen, sending an arc of blood spattering against my own chest, finishing him off.

I felt pretty good about my performance until I saw Ivor.

He took one swipe at the oncoming Sacksquatch and it immediately burst into purple smoke. Another Cruelcumber jumped out from a patch of brush beside us and he felled it in one go with his dagger, not a single line of worry on his face.

And then it hit me: _Ivor was better than me._

He was stronger. He was faster. He showed no mercy.

He was so calm while doing it too. I had learned a lot about Ivor during this little trip. I had seen his wide range of emotions and heard him confess his feelings and insecurities. I had gained much of his trust.

Nothing told me more about him than watching him battle though.

No matter what he was doing, who he was talking to or what he was talking about, Ivor always got nervous and emotional over something. Not so when he battled. The way he dispatched his enemies told me that he was far more learned than I had originally thought. I knew a lot about the monsters here but I didn't know them the same way he did. I just had basic knowledge, he had far more personal information. He knew just where to hack and slash to kill the enemy quickly and he wasn't afraid to do it. He may not have had the same grace with a weapon a trained combatant would have but he didn't need grace when he had guts. Confidence. If he were fighting against a monster he wasn't familiar with, he wouldn't fare so well but here, in the land of Angel Falls, there was no one better equipped to kill than he was.

I was both embarrassed and proud at the same time. It was not in me to accept being less skilled than a mortal but I couldn't deny the delight I felt in seeing a member of my flock-my friend-fight so wonderfully.

And maybe he could be my friend. Maybe a friend is exactly what he and I both needed.

Picking up what gold the monsters had on them before they died, Ivor and I complimented each other's skill and begun swapping tips. Only stopping once to pick some wild flowers for Erinn, we made our way back to town together, friends in arms.

**-Author Note-**

**Hey, all. First off, I apologize for being absent for so long. I was away longer than I had anticipated and once I got back home, real life decided to get crazy and just shat all over any plans and promises I had made. I think I'm more or less in one piece again and I hope to be more diligent about updating. I also want to say sorry about this chapter. It's probably a bit of a disappointment considering how long it took for me to upload and I really am sorry for that. A big thanks to all who have been reading though - I hope you continue to! Fun fact? I got an email today letting me know that Yvette just started following me on etsy! I thought that was funny.**


	8. Chapter 7: At a Loss

Nearing the town gate, Ivor and I casually swapped info on monsters and battle tactics like we were old friends as we divvied up the gold we collected. It was lucky for me that we ended up running into as many foes as we did on our journey back to Angel Falls. I was taught ages ago that monsters big and small had an insatiable lust for gold and a handy knack for finding it; Apus Major wasn't wrong about that, so when it was all said and done I had enough cash to pay Ivor back for the Soldiers sword I forced him to buy me and still had a little something left over. Very little, in fact, but it was more than I had ever had before. More than I believed I needed.

Knowing that, I offered to give Ivor back the Tanglewebs he had given me to sell earlier, but he said it was 'no big thing' for him to get more and to just keep them as a souvenir of Angel Falls 'or whatever'. He would probably never see much success as a town greeter or village concierge, but it was a kind gesture all the same.

Speaking of town greeters, Hugo's eyes just about burst out of his head as Ivor and I sauntered into town. Anticipation coloring his voice, Hugo called out to his friend as we approached. "Hey, Ivor! You're back! Manage to clear up the landslide, did you?" He asked hopefully.

Ivor gave a hearty laugh. "Just wait 'til I tell you the news!" He replied with a grin.

"_Ooh_! What is it? Tell me! Tell me! Stop looking so smug and just spill the beans!"

Ivor pretended to consider, gladly allowing his friend to boil in curiosity for a few long seconds. "Nah." Ivor said finally. "I have to report to Dad first, don't I? Then I'll come back and fill you in."

Hugo's eagerness left him and disappointment filled the vacancy. With the attitude he was projecting, Ivor might as well have pet poor Hugo on the head before telling him to be a 'good boy' and wait for his treat.

After the time I had spent with Ivor, I truly felt sympathy for his emotional troubles and admiration for his skill in battle, but those warmer emotions didn't change my thoughts on how he treated other people. I may have gotten him to be kinder to me, but he was still in need of an attitude adjustment. Or a lesson in tact. Something.

"Oh... okay." Hugo said dissatisfied before turning his attention elsewhere. "...Hey, what are those flowers for?" He asked, his brown eyes falling to the bouquet in Ivor's hand.

Ivor instinctively held the flowers behind his back before stuttering out what a hurry we were in. I couldn't decide whether his embarrassment was sweet or utterly ridiculous. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

I gave a polite wave to Hugo as Ivor and I went by, silently wondering how someone with as little mortal contact as myself could be more comfortable with people than Ivor seemed to be. Gifts or not, it would take an eternity for Ivor to catch Erinn's heart acting this way.

On our way to see Erinn at the Inn, we stopped by the ranch to ask Mr. Algernon if we could have some ribbon or string to tie the flowers together with. The rancher gave Ivor a knowing smile as he went inside to see what he could find. While we waited, a young boy who had been playing with the animals spotted us.

Scurrying towards us, the boy ran a small hand through his brown, bowl-cut hair only for it to fall neatly back into place. "You guys! You went to the pass, didn't you?" He asked, still fidgeting with his hair.

Ivor practically exploded.

"_Yvette_! That little brat went and blabbed to everyone and their uncle what we planned to do, didn't she!?" He screamed more to himself than to anyone else in particular.

"Well, she did only promise not to tell your father." I offered. Ivor wasn't amused.

Bowl-cut boy tried to turn our attention back to him by clearing his throat all adult like. It came out rather squeaky. "You know, I saw a big shiny thing fall from the sky over there when the earthquake happened." He continued once our eyes were back on him. "I don't suppose you found anything there?"

I was about to say 'no', until I thought about the Starflight Express. It wasn't gold and shining anymore, but it was when it fell from the Observatory. Could this boy have seen it? "Yes..." I whispered numbly, a rush of thoughts overwhelming me.

No mortal was capable of seeing the celestial carriage as it flew through the sky, so how did this boy notice it? Did that mean the Starflight was changed somehow during the fall? Was it as useless and broken as I was? Could it still get me to the Observatory?

It had surprised me before to find that Ivor could not see the Express in the forest where it no longer seemed to be veiled by the Almighty's magic, but if the Starflight was still shining as it came this close to the Protectorate, then how..?

Ivor silenced my thoughts with a derisive snort. "You're just saying that to make him happy. You never saw anything of the sort!" He declared accusingly.

The boys excited face fell. "So it's not true..?" He asked as he hung his head.

I meant to comfort him but faltered when I realized I had no explanation to offer him that didn't leave me sounding like a liar or a madwoman. Would I tell him the truth? I wasn't even sure what the truth was. It wouldn't have mattered though, before I had the time to even reach out my hand he looked up at me with frenzied eyes.

"Yvette was wrong, you're mean, Altairis!" He shouted before running off. His hands clenched into tiny fists, angrily wiping away frustrated tears.

His words left me surprisingly hurt.

I glared at Ivor. "Can't let anyone be happy but you, huh?"

"I was doing him a favor. He's gotta grow up and know what's real and what isn't."

I felt my temper flare. "Like you're one to make that distinction! Plus, he's still just a child!"

Ivor shrugged, but something hateful crept into his voice. "I just don't want him to get hurt when he finds out that shining treasures don't just fall out of the sky. Life isn't easy as all that. There are too many people out there who think some greater power will do everything for them. What was half of this town doing today? Praying that their problems would be magically fixed! Did you see _me_ asking some Guardian to help me out? No, and I'm the only one here that has any good news."

I would have smiled at his declaration against asking a Guardian for help if everything else hadn't upset me so much. Something greater than his awkward relationship with Erinn and the troubles with his father was eating Ivor up. I just didn't know how to ask him what it was. Maybe I wasn't as comfortable with mortals as I thought. Or maybe I was finally understanding their boundaries, it was impossible to tell with beings as fickle as humans.

Before I got the chance to reply, a wide band of bright orange-red ribbon bobbed in the air between us. We both looked up to see it held firmly between a rough set of fingers.

"Sorry ta interrupt but I found a couple a spare pieces of trimming the Missus had in her scraps box. I figured since yer so in love, boy, I'd give ya the most romantic lookin' one I could find." The rancher gave Ivor a toothy grin.

Red as a beet, he impulsively replied, "I-I don't even know what you're... Argh." Ivor sighed, defeated. "...Thanks."

Ivor began fussing about with the flowers and ribbon as I spoke with Mr. Algernon. "So how's your new horse feeling? Er, Dime, right?" I asked.

The rancher adjusted the brim of his well-worn hat as he nodded. "She's doin' a right bit better now. I thought I'd lose 'er without the Guardian lookin' out for me but it seems I'm more capable than I gave myself credit for."

I blinked in surprise. "You thought the Guardian stopped looking out for you?"

"Mhm." He replied rather nonchalantly. "At first. But after a heart to heart with the Missus I now see good 'ol Altairis just wanted me to have a little faith in my own two hands and after takin' a long hard look at all I've accomplished, I sure am proud."

That brought a true smile to my face. I was proud of him too.

"_Got it_!" Ivor shouted suddenly, lifting the bouquet up in triumph.

"Oh. Wow, Ivor, those look really great." I said with no small amount of awe.

Ivor had been very careful about the flowers he had picked on our journey returning home, choosing a calculated mix of closed buds and fully bloomed Anemone, Aster, Beardtongue and Blanketflower. He positioned them in a way that looked effortless but neat and bound them tightly together with the ribbon, tying it off in a modest bow at the center.

Ivor had mentioned as he was gathering the blossoms that his mother was skilled at flower arranging and he had picked up some tips from her over the years. I had never heard of such a thing before but filed away all the information he gave me on the art. I hadn't expected to feel as fulfilled as I did when I successfully memorized the names of the flowers he showed me, but I really did feel good about it. I suppose that I had been a student for so long that I truly enjoyed learning, regardless of teacher and subject.

Oddly enough, Ivor took our '_oohing_' and compliments over his work with a perfectionists cynical humility rather than his usual boisterous arrogance or the calm confidence he showed while fighting. He was truly nervous about approaching Erinn. I suppose I couldn't tease him for it, I had noticed that Erinn wields a sharp tongue where Ivor is concerned.

After a well meaning 'Good luck' from Mr. Algernon, Ivor and I made our way to the Inn where we were sure to find Erinn, despite there being no possibility for any costumers while the landslide was still in the way.

The thought of her slaving away over nothing, knowing full well what she's doing is for naught, brought an unpleasant feeling to my stomach. From what I had heard from the other townsfolk and what I knew from Aquila's days of watching Angel Falls, Erinn had always been a hard worker. She was just a dedicated, honest-labor sort of person. The worrying workaholic tendencies she showed now though seemed to stem more from the loss of her father than any true desire to work. It stemmed from a loss of what else to do. I wanted to help her, be the Guardian she needed and deserved, but what good was I like this?

Casting my worried thoughts away as best I could, I took a great deep breath of clean air and distracted myself with the scenery around me. The sun had begun to set and its rays played off the water of the falls in a brilliant display of light. On the small island in the middle of the river, a man knelt and dipped a conspicuously ornate glass bottle into the water, brought it back up and held it against the light of the fading day. The water was pure, clear as the glass that contained it.

"Hey, Ivor." I said, turning towards him.

Ivor twitched and looked around till his gaze landed on me. Apparently I had broken his focus."Huh? Yes?" He replied.

I smiled apologetically. "Didn't mean to scare you, I was just wondering about something you mentioned to me earlier."

Ivor seemed to relax a bit and ran his free hand through his tower of styled, blonde hair, barely disheveling it. "S'okay. I was just thinking about what to say to Erinn."

"And?"

He grimaced. "And I still don't know what I'm going to say." Ivor blew out his breath, trying to ease the tension in him. "C'mon, what was it you wanted to ask? Help me take my mind off this."

"Well," I said, turning towards the falls, "I was thinking about the water here. When you were talking about your mother before - how she was sick - you said she should be okay because Angel Falls has the purest water. I knew this town was known for its water but I assumed people just meant the falls." I gestured to the roaring waterfall as it gleamed with the rays of the setting sun caught in its downpour, marking my point. "It is beautiful, after all."

Ivor nodded, a strange vacant look blanketing his face as I continued.

"But I see now that the water really is quite exceptional in its purity. However, seeing everyone treat it with such reverence coupled with the fact that Erinn was brought here of all places to get healthy and keeping in mind my own speedy recovery... I can't help but wonder, is there something more to this water?" I asked, turning to face Ivor.

He said nothing. He just stared into the shimmering water, mesmerized. No, not mesmerized, he didn't appear to be seeing the water at all.

I frowned. "Ivor? I'm asking if the water here has any actual healing effect. It's important that I know. That's what the town is really known for, isn't it?" I asked more directly as I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention.

Ivor still didn't meet my eyes.

"Hold this." He said, holding out the bouquet towards me; his voice flat, expressionless.

I took the flowers gently, as to not undo the hard work Ivor put into arranging them, before speaking again. "Ivor, what is wrong with you? You look-"

Before I could continue, Ivor cut me off with a piercing shriek that sent my heart into my stomach. Falling to his knees, Ivor continued to scream, his arms wrapped around himself in a mock hug, sudden tears pouring down his anguished face.

I stood there, bouquet in hand, stunned.

"I-Ivor? What's going on? What's wrong?" I felt my mouth go dry as I looked around wildly, hoping to see the kind nun out on her walk or even one of those gossipy ladies, anyone. But there was no one around to help. Should I go find someone? Would it even be okay for me to leave him like this?

Ivor continued to scream, high, aching and inhuman, as he began rocking back and forth; his nails digging into his sides as he held himself tighter. His chocking sobs snapped me out of my indecision.

I threw the flowers out of my way as I dropped to his side, readying a Heal spell in the back of my mind and begging the Almighty that I had enough magic left in me to make it happen.

"Ivor." I began, my voice wavering in fear, "It's going to be okay. I'm here, just tell me where it hurts." I said, readying the sparks of healing magic in my fingertips. "_Please_, Ivor, tell me where you're hurting." I heard my words grow thick in my throat as my eyes became hot with the promise of tears. What was happening to my friend?

Ivor's screams died down into a whimper and he turned his face towards me, his features etched with visible agony as he whispered. "_Everywhere_. It hurts everywhere."

Tears fell from my eyes and at a loss of what to do, I laid my hands on him willing the Heal spell from my being into his. Nothing happened.

"Ivor..." I whispered, not knowing what else to say.

He was perfectly still for a second while he looked into my eyes and then, for just a moment, it seemed as though he saw through my eyes and into something else entirely. Then the words poured out of him.

"She's dead. She's been dead for months. You have her eyes. I thought maybe I'd be okay after she died, I thought I could cope but then you show up with her eyes." Ivor's tears returned with full force. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I was cruel, that I lied about her but I just didn't want..." His words dissolved into full body sobs as he begun to rock himself again.

His mother. She was already dead before I showed up. I quickly thought back to when I was still under Aquila's apprenticeship and remembered the last day a woman had died in Angel Falls. I hadn't known it was Ivor's mother. I didn't remember anything about the day really, other than Aquila's brief lesson on mortal grief.

_"It is unwise to take the requests of grieving mortals seriously for their desires are truly not their own but the demands of the grief that holds them. You see, Altairis, death does not only effect the one who dies but everyone close to that death. It causes them a surreal pain that is quite unique to humans which often changes them completely - destroying the person they were from the inside out. The outer shell remains mostly the same but the person inside is quite different or gone all together. Mortals are especially unhappy with we Celestrians in these dark moments. They feel we turn our backs on them out of cruelty but in reality we must turn our backs on them for their own good. The wishes of one crazed by death can only cause more sadness, so time is the only comfort we can bestow."_

But time had passed and it hadn't been enough, not for Ivor. So I offered him another comfort, one I was only capable of in this lesser form. I held him as he cried and I cried with him. I first cried in relief, glad to know Ivor wasn't in the physical pain I first thought he was, then I cried for the equally real pain he was feeling - a pain that a simple spell couldn't touch. Then finally I cried for my own mother and wished upon all wishing that she was still alive.

It felt as if hours had passed just sitting and crying, but in reality the whole ordeal only lasted a handful of minutes. The last minute was spent in relative silence, nothing but the constant roar of the water beside us pervaded the air. It was Ivor that spoke first.

"You didn't have to do that. Not for me." Ivor's voice was slightly strained and rough from the screaming but there was something else that was different about his words. Something was all together changed about him. Softer.

I took him by the shoulder so I could look directly in his eyes. I needed him to understand what I was about to say next. "Ivor. You are my friend. It's my job to do that and I take my jobs seriously."

Ivor was quiet again for a second before breaking into a giant grin and laughing. "Bacon and biscuits, Altairis! No need to play the stoic Guardian for me." I flushed and Ivor's laughter died down, but his smile remained. "Seriously, though, a good friend is always welcome in my life. I don't deserve them - my friends - but maybe I can start making up for that now. I just..." Ivor paused then laughed again. "I don't know what to say after all of that."

"You could tell me why you broke down all of a sudden. Was it something I said?"

Ivor's grin faded a bit. "Yes, but it's not like that. You were asking about the Angel Tears and it all reminded me about my mom and Erinn's dad and how it wasn't enough to save either of them... I held that contempt and sadness inside for so long that once you mentioned it I just broke down I guess."

I looked out over the water, holding in some sadness of my own. "Angel Tears, huh?"

"Yeah, dad told me the story before but it's super boring. Basically, people saw the falls and thought they looked 'angelic' so _poof_, you've got the Angel Falls. Then when they found that the water was really pure and tasty, some clever person declared only the tears of an angel could be so pure and _bam_, Angel Tears. It's dumb."

I doubted very much that Ivor's story was any sort of accurate but that didn't really matter, what I needed to know was whether or not the water was truly magical. If the falls were enchanted or so pure that the water had a direct healing effect then my quick recovery could very well be thanks to nearly drowning in it rather than any Celestrian power I might have retained. I wanted so badly for him to tell me no, that the water wasn't healing. That way I could really believe I was still Celestrian, that way I could still feel like myself. I had so few things left with which to convince myself that I was still who I was before everything went wrong, I couldn't bear to lose anything else.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "So, does the water really have any magic in it?"

Ivor seemed to contemplate the falls for a minute before answering. "I think it probably does. Lots of people have gotten stronger after drinking it and being raised on it myself... well, I just think maybe there is more to it than just being pure."

My heart sank.

"But..." He suddenly continued, raising my hopes once more. "I don't think it's what people really make it out to be."

"Really?" I said a bit too eagerly. "I mean, why do you say that?"

Ivor looked down at his hands as he spoke, his eyes far away. "Things aren't as simple as that. Water doesn't just decide to heal some people but not others, it can't think that way; magic or not, it's still just water." He looked back up at me, regaining the light in his face. "I think it can only go so far and heal so much. It wasn't enough to stave off the disease mine and Erinn's parents had but it was enough to get a little girl back on her feet. It's good, but it's not the miraculous cure-all people around here like to say it is. It doesn't really come from an angel, after all." He chuckled and the sound eased my nerves a bit.

It was no definitive answer, but I had zero answers so far anyway so it didn't change much. Better to just give up the worries for now. Instead, I thought about Ivor and how close to his mother he must have been and what he was like before she died, before the grief took hold. I thought of the mayor and his gruff demeanor and little Yvette, bright as the sun and too clever for her own good. I thought about families and relationships as I watched the sky with my newest friend.

Just before I found myself lost in the sight of the emerging stars dotting the darkening heavens, a thought hit me like a brick. "Oh! What are we doing!?"

Ivor eyed me in amusement as I clamored to my feet and ran a little ways behind him. His eyes grew wide when he saw the slightly battered bouquet of wildflowers in my hand. "_Erinn_!" I shouted, waving the flowers in his direction.

The panicked look I was so accustomed to seeing came over Ivor like a wave and he bolted to my side, picking out bruised petals with a surgical precision. It took him less than a minute and the bouquet looked as full and beautiful after as it did before. None the less, Ivor declared it trash.

"It's trash!" Ivor declared.

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, it looks great right now! But It won't look so great if you take forever giving them to her. You want her to know your feelings for her have bloomed and are continuing to bloom, not wilting and smelling like rotten fruit."

After a little back and forth and some threatening, Ivor and I finally continued our way to the inn. It was fully dark by the time we entered the door and I idly wondered if Hugo thought Ivor had forgot about him. Those thoughts quickly melted away in the warmth of the inn.

The inn of Angel Falls was not unlike most of the other houses there. It was small, old, and had an odd charm about it. It shared the same mismatched stone flooring, smooth stone walls, polished wood beams and open candle light that every other building in Angel Falls had.

The inn did have some distinct differences though. Instead of smelling like baked food, animal fur or wood stove; the inn always had a pleasant, light almond fragrance. I wasn't sure how Erinn did it, but no matter what manner of person came to see her, tracking in what-have-you, she always had the place smelling lovely and inviting just a moment later.

That wasn't the only dissimilarity though; the place was spotless. It wasn't just the level of cleanliness you'd expect of a proper business, it went well beyond that. Whereas the item shop might have some grime around the door and dirt in the rug, Erinn's inn had no such thing. The church's pews might creak a bit and have a few scratches from use but the furniture at Erinn's inn was always solid and without mark or mar. Utensils were polished to a gleam, the windows were treated daily and not a drip of wax ran over the candelabras. The photos were free of dust, the flowers exchanged every afternoon and all bedclothes were washed with every use. The place would feel almost sterile if not for all the little odds and ends Erinn adorned the place with. There was enough clutter to make you feel at ease but not so much that you found the place unstylish. It was a difficult balance and Erinn had perfected it.

"Hello, Altairis!" Erinn chimed all sunny-like from behind the desk as she saw me. Though she smiled, it was a tight sort of grin that didn't touch her eyes.

I did my best to return it anyway. "Hey there, Erinn. I thought I'd still find you working. For whatever reason..." I said, my eyes scanning the empty sitting room.

Erinn's voice took an edge to it. "I know we haven't had any customers lately, but I have to be ready to welcome them just in case."

Yeah, just in case they decided to vault over a giant landslide and needed somewhere to rest afterwards.

I let a moment pass between us before speaking. I didn't want to press her but I found myself genuinely worried about the obsession she held for this place. "Erinn-"

"You probably think it's pointless, don't you?" She said, cutting me off. "Well, so what? What else am I supposed to do?" Her voice was hard and angry but I still heard the real question in her words, the quiet pleading. _Please, tell me, what else I am supposed to do? _

I wanted to tell her to go home, go rest, forget about responsibility for a change and actually talk about what she's feeling, but the words felt so funny in my mouth. They were words I couldn't say because I felt they would make me a hypocrite.

I counted myself as lucky when Ivor took this chance to make himself known.

Clearing his throat, Ivor stepped up beside me; his face wracked with anxiety, bouquet still at his back. "Ah, hi Erinn. Um-"

Erinn made a very unladylike snort once she finally took notice of him, then looked incredulously at me. "What are you still doing hanging around with Ivor? Surely you're fed up with him by now?" She laughed. She didn't mean to sound so cruel, she never did, but she sounded that way all the same. It was more than enough to offend Ivor.

His face became a neutral mask. "You won't be bad-mouthing me like that for much longer, you know. You'll see. You'll be thanking me before long." Ivor's voice wasn't raised and it didn't sound half as angry as I've heard it before. It was simply resigned. It broke my heart. Without sparing her so much as an extra glace, he turned to me. "I'd better go and report to Dad." Then he shoved the bouquet into my hands and left without another word or a slammed door.

Erinn furrowed her brow as she watched the door swing shut after him. "Well he was acting extra strange. Was he as grumpy as that all day? How did you put up with it?" She asked, her attention now on me.

I bit down the first words that came across my tongue. I wanted to chastise her for being so snappy with him but I couldn't exactly blame her for her behavior either- It's not as if Ivor wasn't reaping what he sowed. Still, maybe I could help close the gap between them just the littlest bit.

"You know," I began, lifting the bouquet to my nose and into full view, "Ivor really isn't always so terrible. That boy has got hidden depths." I took a deep inhale and marveled at just how well the different scents blended together. It was a symphony of sweet undertones, woody fragrance and sharp, clean perfume.

Erinn's features softened into the kind face I was used to. "I suppose you might - _oh_. What is that?" Erinn said, staring intently at the blossoms in my hand. "Is that what you two have been doing all day? Flower arranging?" She asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

I smiled nervously as I thought about just how much to admit to her. Surely mentioning our little voyage to the mountain pass would be a bad idea. "Not exactly. Ivor was teaching me all about the wild blooms native to this area - I had never seen anything like them before. I learned quite a lot, actually." Not a lie.

Erinn beamed. "May I see them?" I nodded and handed the bouquet over to its intended owner. She spun it slowly in her hands, looking it over with an intense gaze, then took a cursory sniff. Her eyes lit up. She took a much longer sniff the second time before grinning at me."This is just _amazing_, Altairis! You did an incredible job! Ivor must be a better teacher than I would have thought." She held the flowers back out to me.

I put my hand up, stopping her. "Actually, it's Ivor that made the bouquet. I just took notes. Also, it's for you. He put a lot of effort into it."

Something crossed Erinn's face as she brought the flowers closer to her, but I couldn't decipher what it was. "He did that for me, huh? That's..." Her face twisted in an odd way before settling on a smile. "Nice. That's really nice of him."

"I told you, hidden depths."

Erinn's eyes suddenly looked far away as she spoke again, staring down at the blossoms. "I used to be really sick, you know. I don't remember much about that time but I know that's when I fell in love with flowers." She looked back up at me, brighter. "Every day there would be a flower in my room when I woke up. At the time I thought it was magic, or a Guardian, but now I know it must have been someone in town." Her voice then lowered, growing soft with memories. "Probably my dad... I wish I thanked him for it before he passed. They were the best parts of my day and my only good memories for a long time." Erinn dipped her head back into the bouquet of wildflowers and a small smile formed. She looked more at peace in that moment then I had ever seen before.

It was then that I realized what Ivor had in mind when he chose the flowers that he did. White, sky blue, orange and plum - I thought they were an odd color palate at first but seeing Erinn hold them clued me in to his true intention. They were just like her. The dark purple of her hair, the blue of her favorite dress, the crisp white of the apron she wore for work and even the orange of her signature bandanna; they were all there, wrapped up in a pretty bow, not too unlike the one Erinn wore around her own neck.

She was his muse, his divine inspiration.

I laughed. I laughed hard and loud, shocking Erinn out of her small reverie.

"Altairis? What is wrong with you?" She giggled along with me.

I shook my head and took a deep breath, trying my best to compose myself. "I-I'm sorry, Erinn, Nothing you said was funny. I'm not sure why I'm having such a fit over nothing." I was so relieved and excited over hearing her mention the same story Ivor had told me in the forest. It was odd, but I hadn't realized till just then how much I was suddenly rooting for the two of them to get together. I felt more than a little silly about it.

I felt myself wanting to ask her if she remembered a boy at the Guardian statue, holding her as she smiled and cried, but I couldn't think of a relatively smooth way of bringing something like that up. So instead I laughed and told Erinn I needed to see to something real quick before I turned in for the day.

As I was leaving, one of the older, gossipy women of the town came striding through the door. For a moment she looked my way with an odd look in her eye but just like that, she turned her attention to Erinn and the look vanished. I shook off the strange vibes as I got outside and jogged over to Ivor's place.

It didn't surprise me one bit that the first thing I heard when I entered the house was Mayor Litlun's booming voice. "Don't be ridiculous! You were foolish to go all the way out there, just the two of you. Utterly foolish!" He shouted just as I entered the main room of the house.

Ivor seemed genuinely surprised by his father's reaction to our little trip. "But-But! Why are you so angry? If we hadn't gone to the landslide, you'd never have known it was about to be cleared."

Litlun made chuffing sound that might have been a laugh if he weren't so angry. "So what? If I didn't know now, I'd have found out soon enough. Knowing a little it sooner is hardly worth risking your life for. _That's_ why I'm angry. _That's_ why you're foolish." The mayor spared a glance in my direction as well, allowing me to feel thoroughly chastised.

If I hadn't known about the relatively recent loss of his wife, I might have thought Litlun was being a tad overprotective - Ivor was a genius with a blade against these monsters, after all. But knowing what I did, I saw the mayor's anger for what it was, true fatherly concern. It was a touching thing to behold, I had never known anything like it before.

Ivor looked to me for some sort of back up but I just shrugged. His dad was right and, well, I just didn't know how to speak against the word of authority. I guess being subordinate your entire life will do that.

Ivor rolled his eyes."...Gah! Fine! ...Oh yeah, there was something else. Something I heard from one of the soldiers. They want us to find some girl called Patty who went missing on her way here."

_Patty!_ I had completely forgotten.

"Wait a minute! Is that true?" A familiar voice called.

Ivor's face fell as he turned towards the doorway. "Erinn! What are you doing here?"

Erinn marched pass me and fixed Ivor with a death glare. "What do you think? I'm here because I heard you whisked Altairis off on some silly adventure!" She steamed.

_Ah_, so that's what that woman went to see Erinn about. Something inside of me suddenly felt hot, like someone just dumped a bag of burning coals into my belly. I was getting real sick of being talked about but not talked _to_.

"That's quite enough now, Erinn!" I shouted, tearing her attention away from Ivor. "I don't know if you've noticed but I'm not bedridden anymore. No human on earth has the power to force me to do anything against my will; I make my own decisions and take responsibility for them." I declared.

Erinn's body language relaxed a bit and she looked down, slightly ashamed. "Y-Yes, I understand. I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright." I said, my voice softer now. "I'm not upset that you're concerned, it's sweet of you, I just don't think Ivor deserves the blame."

Erinn nodded and mumbled a soft apology to Ivor who took it with such gratitude you'd think she was offering him a bucket of gold. Mayor Litlun then took back control of the room, politely ignoring the arguing of three children. "You're from Stornway originally, aren't you, Erinn? Do you know this Patty woman?"

Erinn nodded. "I seem to remember my dad talking about someone called patty from his days in Stornway..." Suddenly her face became stricken with fresh worry. "Oh dear! Maybe she didn't know he'd passed away and she was coming here to see him."

The mayor stroked his short beard as he considered the situation. "Hmm... Well, I can understand everyone's concerns, but we can't very well send off a search party with no lead to go on." He said finally.

Ivor piped up once more, glad for his chance to speak again. "Actually, the soldier said something about how she might've been on her way here through the Hexagon."

I was silently grateful that Ivor seemed to remember so much more about his conversation with the soldiers from Stornway than I did. I had become quite distracted by all the outpouring of emotion that I was forgetting simple details. I _never_ forgot details. Were humans always going to be this diverting for me?

The mayor looked surprised but then shook his head. "Is that so? Well, even if that's the case, we still can't be of any help. The Hexagon is far too dangerous nowadays." He then turned back to Erinn and I, his voice growing noticeably softer. "Erinn, why don't you take Altairis home now? Try not to worry too much."

I stepped forward. "Excuse me sir mayor, I was hoping to speak with Ivor about something before I left. It's the reason I came by tonight." I interjected as politely as I could.

To my shock, Litlun regarded me with kind eyes instead of the steely gaze he normally did. "Could it wait till tomorrow? I'd appreciate a bit of privacy so I can talk some sense into this pg-headed son of mine." He replied, apparently saving all of his glares for Ivor tonight.

"Th-There's no need for that, Dad!" Ivor grimaced as Erinn and I quickly made our way out the door.

* * *

"I was so worried when I heard you'd been to the mountain pass, Altairis." Erinn admitted as we sat together in her room. "But you're obviously a lot tougher than I thought."

I chuckled, thinking about just how beat up I felt after today, but I wasn't going to argue. "Well I _am_ a traveling minstrel, after all. We're built like gigasteel."

Erinn smiled, nervously fiddling with one of the bright orange poppies in the vase across from me. "Speaking of which, um... I wonder if I could ask you a favor, Altairis."

"Oh?"

Erinn didn't look up from the table. "You see, I'm quite worried about all this talk of Patty going missing. So I was wondering if you could - Oh, never mind!" She said suddenly, shaking her head. "The Hexagon is really far too dangerous. I couldn't possibly ask that much of you." But her eyes still gleamed with the question.

I felt myself begin to sweat as I thought about the Hexagon. "Ah, that pass underneath the mountains? Underground? Without any sunlight or fresh air and tons of earth weighing down upon it? _Um_..." I trailed off, thinking about all of the terrible ways I could die alone in the dark. Celestrians were _not_ made to be underground.

"I'm obviously worried about Patty, but it's far too dangerous to go off to the Hexagon looking for her. All we can do is pray to the Almighty to keep her safe." Erinn said, plainly seeing my reaction. Before I could make any excuse for myself, Erinn folded her hands in front of her and begun to pray. "Guardian Altairis, please watch over Patty and see that she comes to no harm." Erinn then smiled at me and told me to get my rest, and I gladly obliged.

I was going to need one heck of a good night's sleep before tackling the Hexagon, because now I didn't have any other choice but to go.

* * *

I decided to slip out while it was still night. I had hoped to sleep a bit longer but my dreams were feeling inhospitable and I needed to leave before Erinn or her grandfather woke. I dressed quickly and grabbed some bread and hard cheese from the cupboards downstairs before making my way outside, packing most of it down my throat before I even crossed the first bridge. Cheese is heavenly.

I hadn't expected much of anyone to be up this late but to my surprise, the lamp above the town gate burned brightly as Hugo stood at his post, watching the peaceful scene around him.

"Hey Hugo. " I said as I came within speaking distance. "Uh, about Ivor earlier, I'm sure he didn't forgot to come back to talk to you, it's just he was detained by his father and all-"

Hugo held up his hand to stop me and gave me an easy smile. "It's alright, Altairis, I know how he is. How they both are." He laughed and I joined him. After a silent moment, Hugo begun to speak again. "Look, I know it's not really my place to say so, but thanks for looking out for Ivor."

I felt myself flush. "Uh, yeah. I mean, no problem. He's really not all that bad." Why did I feel so weird about a compliment?

Hugo nodded sagely, graciously overlooking my embarrassment. "He has his faults, that's for sure, and he drives most of us insane half the time, but I wouldn't wish him any ill." Hugo smiled at me again and I realized then just how handsome he was for a mortal boy. "You be careful, where ever it is you're sneaking off to this time."

At a loss for what to say, I promised him I would, then left for the Hexagon.

**-Author Note-**

**Hey everyone. Sorry for the absence. I'm helping my cousin plan her wedding and well, to use a technical term, it's cray-cray. That said, wow is this chapter longer than I intended it to be! I just really enjoy messing with Ivor's emotions I guess. Anyway, good news for anyone who doesn't like Ivor (Or my characterization of him) because next chapter will be low fat, Ivor-free! We'll hit our first dungeon and boss battle and we'll get to kill things! Yay!**

**Fun Facts: I wanted to give the rancher a name since I figured he earned one and when I was searching for a neat surname, I found that 'Algernon' meant "With a Mustache" sooooo, that was too deliciously weirdly specific to pass up. Also, I never planned to kill off the mom I gave Ivor but then I realized that would make so much sense given he and the mayors behavior. I mean, the kids got a little sister, a father and a random old dude upstairs but not even a mention of his mom? Yeah, there's definitely something to that.**

**Anyway, a big thanks to everyone who has been reading. It's always surprising and flattering to see my stats and see people are still reading despite my glacial pace and updating - you guys and gals are really great.**


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